Ingredients

• Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  2. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  3. 3 carrots, finely chopped
  4. 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
  5. Kosher salt
  6. 2 teaspoons dry mustard powder
  7. 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  8. 1 pound yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
  9. 8 cups vegetable stock or low-sodium broth
  10. Freshly ground pepper
  11. 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a soup pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the dry mustard and cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add the split peas and stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the split peas have broken down, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the crisp garlic and serve.

Make Ahead

The soup can refrigerated for up to 3 days.