Ingredients

Half a beer mug of dried split peas (soaked over night top up the other half of the beer mug with water)
1 chopped large onion
Some chopped garlic (optional)
Some chopped bacon (optional you can replace with smoked paprika if non- meat)
A little (olive) oil
2- 3 dried bay leaves
2-3 dried red chilis
2 teaspoons Paprika (use 3 teaspoons of smoked dried paprika/pimenton if you leave out the bacon )
Glass infused white wine
Half a teaspoon dried lime powder or a squeeze of lemon juice
About a pint and a half of stock
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Method

Soak split peas over night as descibed and rinse well.
Soak the dried bayleaves and dried chilis in the wine and bruise them a little with the back of a teaspoon
Fry chopped bacon, garlic and onions till onions are clear
Add paprika and fry for a minute or two
Add the infused white wine and cook for a few minutes
Add the lentils and some stock and boil hard for 10 minutes
Add the lime powder
Boil gently for another 40 minutes till the split peas are tender
REMOVE the dried chilis and bayleaves
Whizz the mixture in the pan till smoothish with some rough bits with a hand blender
Grind a little pepper over the top.

Enjoy with some nice freshly baked crusty bread.

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