Pea and Ham Soup

When I first started seeing the hubby, in winter he often made a stew full of pork and veggies.  I never ate any obviously, but he really enjoyed it.

However, as he had been making this for quite a few years he thought it was time for a change and decided to give pea and ham soup a go after seeing it on one of the numerous cooking shows we watch.

Luckily at our Farmers Market there is a fantastic supplier of all things pork, being Trunkey Bacon and Pork (you can also see some of their products on their Facebook page), and the hubby is a regular customer tending not to buy his pork from anyone else.

For the soup you need a smoked ham hock, bacon or smoked ham pieces, green split peas, vegetable stock, salt and pepper.  You will also need some frozen peas to add at the end.

Put everything except for the frozen peas in a slow cooker.  Leave the bag of frozen peas in a bowl, allowing them to defrost whilst the soup is cooking.

Pour in some additional water until everything is submerged.  Our slow cooker holds five litres and we top it up with about another litre of water.

Place the lid back on and leave to simmer on low for approximately 6 hours.  When the meat is falling off the bone, it is ready.

You will notice a clear-ish layer on top of the soup which is gelatine from the bone in the ham hock.  The hubby scoops this layer of "jelly" off and places it in the freezer to use for making pork pies (rest assured, the recipe will be coming).

Once you have skimmed the jelly off, if you choose to do so, place the ham hock on a large plate or chopping board.  As the meat is so tender, you can just use tongs or a fork to pull the meat off the bone and place in a separate bowl for now.  Discard the skin, bone and connective tissue.

Add the bag of defrosted green peas to the slow cooker.  Get out your stick blender and place in the slow cooker to blend the ingredients together to form a thick soup.

When you are happy with the consistency, add the shredded pork from the ham hock.

Stir the shredded meat through the soup and leave to stand for about 10 minutes to allow the meat to heat back up.

The soup is best served with Yorkshire Puddings or fresh crusty bread.  But do yourself a favour and try it with the Yorkies, you will not regret it!

Any remaining soup can be easily frozen as individual serves and reheated.

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Pea and Ham Soup

An original recipe by Cath's Cookery Creations' hubby.

Ingredients

• 1kg ham hock, smoked
• 500g bacon or smoked ham pieces
• 500g dried green split peas
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 1 litre (approx) water
• to taste salt and pepper
• 500g frozen green peas

Cooking Directions

1. Put the bag of frozen peas in a bowl and allow them to defrost whilst the soup is cooking.
2. Place ham hock, bacon/ham pieces, dried green split peas, vegetable stock, salt and pepper in a slow cooker.
3. Add water until everything is covered.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and leave on low for 6 hours or until the meat on the ham hock is tender and falling off the bone.
5. If you would like to save the gelatine, skim the clear-ish layer from the top of the soup and freeze for later use. Take care not to agitate the soup too much whilst skimming the jelly off.
6. Remove the ham hock and place on a chopping board. Using tongs or a fork, pull the meat off the bone and place in a bowl. Discard the skin, bone and connective tissue.
7. Add the defrosted peas to the slow cooker and using a stick blender, blend until you have a nice thick soup (or a consistency you are happy with).
8. Place the shredded pork back in the slow cooker and stir through. Leave for approximately 10 minutes to allow the meat to heat back up.
9. Serve with Yorkshire Puddings or fresh crusty bread.

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