Old Fashioned Pea & Ham Soup
We take great pride in our smoked ham hocks. We take prime, free-range pork hock, or knuckle, and brine them in our special blend of salt, sugar, and spices. They are then hot smoked for a deep, rich, smoky flavour. They make a great smoky, meaty start to dishes such as baked beans, ham terrine and this – our old-fashioned pea and ham soup. It’s a quick prep, one-pot dish finished with the secret ingredient – balsamic vinegar – for a delicious extra tang.
1 x 1 kg smoked ham hock
500 g split peas
3 x large carrots, diced
5 x celery sticks, diced
1 large brown onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 x chicken stock cubes
5 bay leaves
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Parsley to garnish
Take a very large saucepan and place the ham hock, split peas, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and stock cubes in it. Cover with 3-4 litres of water. Alternatively, use chicken stock for extra flavour and omit the stock cubes.
Place over high heat, uncovered, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the bay leaves and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes. The peas should have cooked through and mostly dissolved.
Remove from heat. Remove the ham hock. Allow to cool enough to handle. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin and discard. Remove the ham from the bone and tear it into morsel-sized shards. Return the ham to the soup. Check the soup for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired. Stir through with the balsamic vinegar.
Spoon into bowls, garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread.
This makes a generous quantity. The soup can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to a week or poured into containers and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
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Old Fashioned Pea and Ham Soup
Ingredients
- 1 x 1 kg smoked ham hock
- 500 g split peas
- 3 x large carrots, diced
- 5 x celery sticks, diced
- 1 large brown onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 x chicken stock cubes
- 5 bay leaves
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Parsley to garnish
Method
- Take a very large saucepan and place the ham hock, split peas, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and stock cubes in it. Cover with 3-4 litres of water. Alternatively, use chicken stock for extra flavour and omit the stock cubes.
- Place over high heat, uncovered, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add the bay leaves and continue cooking for a further 30 minutes. The peas should have cooked through and mostly dissolved.
- Remove from heat. Remove the ham hock. Allow to cool enough to handle. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin and discard. Remove the ham from the bone and tear it into morsel-sized shards. Return the ham to the soup. Check the soup for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if desired. Stir through with the balsamic vinegar.
- Spoon into bowls, garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread.
- This makes a generous quantity. The soup can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for up to a week or poured into containers and stored in the freezer for up to 6 months.
