Pea Soup South Beach Style (from another old blog)

8 cups water
lamb bone (original calls for ham bone, but I don't eat pork)
2 small bags dried green peas, rinsed and sorted
2 cups celery, finely chopped
2 cups onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, chopped
bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
cayenne pepper to taste

Bring lamb bone, 1 cup of onion, spices, and broth to boil. Boil gently about 45 minutes. Add peas, rest of onion, and celery. Simmer very low heat about 1 hour. Remove bone, take of any meat and put back in soup. Add carrots and simmer 1 more hour or till peas are done. Soup will look thin but will thicken as it cools.

Other secret ingredients: add 1 teaspoon chicken soup base or boullion, and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic.

I don't like the consistency of the peas, I prefer mine smooshed, so when the soup is done, I would use my Magic Bullet (I REALLY need to get another one, I don't have it any more, and boy, do I miss it!) - you can use a blender or food processor as well - and scoop up the peas and just blend it into mush. Not only do I like the consistency better, but it also thickens the soup better. But that's just me.