Un bol de soupe pour Sophie!

There’s nothing like a fuming cup of Erwtensoep (dutch pea soup) to warm you up from head to toe during the cold dutch winter days…

My friend Sophie would definitely agree with me… Although, she might not be the most objective on that one: she likes it so much she would also ask for it when visiting me in april! She’s been begging for the recipe for years now… With the great tips provided by my butcher and the icy weather from the last couple of weeks I really didn’t have anymore excuses to keep her waiting any longer, so here it is…

Erwtensoep – Dutch pea soup
Soupe de pois neerlandaise.

serves 6 to 8 pers.
prep: 20 min. cook: 2,5 hours

Ingredients:
1 ham shank (~800 g);
3 to 4 l water;
2 bay leaves;
1 tsp peppercons;
1 Tsp coarse sea salt;
500 g split peas (dry), rinsed;
500 g celeriac, peeled and roughly diced;
250 g winter carrot, peeled and roughly diced;
250 g leeks, well rinsed and sliced;
150 g thick smoked bacon, diced;
1 dutch smoked sausage (rookworst); 

Prepare the stock:
Put the ham shank, the bay leaves and the peppercorns in a large soup pan. Pour enough water to cover the ham shank from a couple of centimeters. Bring to a boil on high heat, add the salt and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Leave to simmer for 1h30 and skim regularly to remove the foam, fat and impurities.

Prepare the soup:
Add the split peas and diced celeriac to the soup pan. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the  carrots, leeks and half of the bacon. Leave to simmer for 1h on low heat. If necessary add water so that the ham shank remains covered. Remove from the heat. It is really worth leaving some rest to the soup until it cools completely and then reheat it (It’s even better if you leave it to rest overnight). In the mean time remove the ham shank from the pan. Discard the bone and put back the meat in the soup into small pieces.

Final touch:
20 minutes before serving bring water to a boil in a small pan add the smoked sausage and lower the heat. Leave to simmer gently for 15 minutes*. In the mean time reheat the soup on low heat. Fry the rest of the diced bacon in a small pan until nicely colored. Finally, add the sliced smoked sausage and fried bacon to the soup and serve fuming hot with thin buttered slices of rye bread on the side. 

Eet smakkelijk**!

* The fans of smokey tastes can also cook the smoked sausage directly in the soup.
** Bon Appetit!