Ingredients
500g split green peas
2 cloves garlic
sliced
1 small onion
finely chopped
2 carrots
finely chopped
2 small sticks celery
finely chopped
1kg smoked ham hock
chopped up (ask your butcher to do this)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
to taste
water
enough to cover
sour cream or creme fraiche
to serve
Equipment
- 1 large, heavy-based saucepan
Instructions
- Remove all visible fat and skin from the ham hock and set aside.
- Bring a large, heavy-based saucepan to a medium heat, and then add oil. Sauté garlic, onion, celery, carrot and ham hock for a few minutes until vegetables are soft.
- Add peas, pepper to taste, and enough water to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow to simmer for thirty minutes, removing any foamy scum that appears on the surface from time to time.
- Remove the hock, pull the cooked meat from the bones, chop it up and return to pan, discarding bones.
- Continue to simmer until peas are very tender and falling apart.
- Serve with dollops of sour cream and toasted bread.
Notes
Tip
If I have a leftover bone from a ham, I ask my butcher to cut this up so I can freeze it and use it for soups.
Variation
If you can’t find a ham hock, using a couple of handfuls of ham or bacon will work as well.
