With the cold weather well and truly here, our thoughts turn to those wonderful winter warmer recipes we’ve created or adopted from family and friends. One of the best is Pea and Ham soup. Normally made with the remnants of the Christmas ham, this perennial favourite is a classic you can make right now and is best served on cold, wet winter evenings with warm crusty bread and lashings of butter.
Preparation: 15 mins
Cooking time: Approx 2-2½ hrs
Serves 6.
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g dried split peas — yellow or green
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 ltr chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 good sized smoked ham hocks
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley to garnish
METHOD:
- Rinse the peas and soak them overnight in water.
- Drain the peas and set them aside.
- In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant.
- Add the carrots and celery and cook until softened.
- Add the bay leaves, stock, and ham hocks to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add the drained peas to the pot and stir to combine.
- Simmer the soup for 2 hours or until the peas are tender and the ham falls off the bone.
- Remove the ham hocks and bay leaves from the pot, shred the meat, and discard the bones.
- Give the soup a whiz with a stick blender until desired consistency.
- Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir through.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Note: You can pick up ham hocks from the deli section of Coles and Woolies.