← Nouns Cooking · Soup Pot

Ingredients

• 450 g dried yellow split peas, rinsed
• 225 g salt pork or smoked bacon, in one piece
• 150 g diced ham or a meaty ham bone (optional)
• 2 Onion, diced
• 1 Carrot, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried summer savory (or thyme)
• 1 l chicken stock
• 1.25 l Water
• 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Put the peas, salt pork, ham (if using), onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and savory in a large heavy pot. Pour in the stock and water.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises, then turn down to a gentle simmer.
3. Cover partly and cook for 1½–2 hours, stirring every 15 min or so and scraping the bottom, until the peas have broken down into a thick, creamy soup. Add a splash of water if it gets too stiff.
4. Lift out the salt pork and bay leaves. Cut the pork into small cubes and stir them back in, or slice it to serve on the side.
5. Season with pepper, then taste before adding any salt, as the pork is already salty. Serve scattered with parsley.

Tips

• Salt pork can be very salty: blanch it in boiling water for 5 min first if your piece is heavily cured.
• The soup sets solid in the fridge; loosen with water as you reheat. It freezes well for up to 3 months. Check the stock is gluten-free if you need it to be. Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat until piping hot.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

The Runaway Spoon Foodal Food Network