Pea Soup with Smoked Turkey or Ham
Okay, a quick quiz: when are you most likely to burn the pea soup while reheating it?
1.) while it is cold.
2.) while it is warm.
3.) once it is hot and boiling.
If you said "1.) while it is cold." you get a hearty "Well done!" and a gold star. Strange but true; the soup gets so solid that it does not circulate while heating, and the bottom of the pot can be burning before the top has even lost its chill. Stir that soup every minute or two until it is soft and flowing. Yes this is the voice of sad experience speaking, although I'm happy to say not this time. This batch came out just as it should. Good rib-sticking food, for the winter that just won't die. More snow on the way, apparently.
I like to make this soup with smoked turkey, although a ham bone is more traditional, and if you made ham for Easter this is a good way to use it up. Don't carve it too meticulously (until you pick it over for the soup) and maybe keep a slice or two of ham for the soup if you can. The turkey is a good choice for those who don't eat pork, and yields a fairly predictable quantity of tender and tasty meat.
6 to 8 servings.
2 days - 40 minutes prep time.
Make the broth:
1 large smoked turkey drumstick
OR 1 meaty ham bone
2 litres water
2 bay leaves
Put the turkey or ham bone into a stock pot with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, if there is much fat on top, skim most of it off. Remove the bay leaf. Remove the drumstick or hambone from the stock and cut off all the usable meat. Cut it into 1 cm dice. Return the bones, skin and any other inedible bits to the stock and simmer for another hour. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Make the soup:
750 g split peas, green or yellow, although I prefer green
2 medium carrot
2 medium onions
3 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon savory
Wash and pick over the peas, and add them to the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel the onions and carrots, and wash and trim the celery. Cut them all into smallish dice. Sauté them in the oil until soft. Season with salt, pepper, sage and savory, and sauté for a minute or two more. Add them to the soup.
Simmer the soup until the peas are very soft; indeed, falling apart. Stir frequently. Better re-heated the next day. In fact, rumour has it that some people think it is best nine days old.
1.) while it is cold.
2.) while it is warm.
3.) once it is hot and boiling.
If you said "1.) while it is cold." you get a hearty "Well done!" and a gold star. Strange but true; the soup gets so solid that it does not circulate while heating, and the bottom of the pot can be burning before the top has even lost its chill. Stir that soup every minute or two until it is soft and flowing. Yes this is the voice of sad experience speaking, although I'm happy to say not this time. This batch came out just as it should. Good rib-sticking food, for the winter that just won't die. More snow on the way, apparently.
I like to make this soup with smoked turkey, although a ham bone is more traditional, and if you made ham for Easter this is a good way to use it up. Don't carve it too meticulously (until you pick it over for the soup) and maybe keep a slice or two of ham for the soup if you can. The turkey is a good choice for those who don't eat pork, and yields a fairly predictable quantity of tender and tasty meat.
6 to 8 servings.
2 days - 40 minutes prep time.
Make the broth:1 large smoked turkey drumstick
OR 1 meaty ham bone
2 litres water
2 bay leaves
Put the turkey or ham bone into a stock pot with the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Let cool and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, if there is much fat on top, skim most of it off. Remove the bay leaf. Remove the drumstick or hambone from the stock and cut off all the usable meat. Cut it into 1 cm dice. Return the bones, skin and any other inedible bits to the stock and simmer for another hour. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Make the soup:
750 g split peas, green or yellow, although I prefer green
2 medium carrot
2 medium onions
3 stalks of celery
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon savory
Wash and pick over the peas, and add them to the broth. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel the onions and carrots, and wash and trim the celery. Cut them all into smallish dice. Sauté them in the oil until soft. Season with salt, pepper, sage and savory, and sauté for a minute or two more. Add them to the soup.
Simmer the soup until the peas are very soft; indeed, falling apart. Stir frequently. Better re-heated the next day. In fact, rumour has it that some people think it is best nine days old.
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