Soup is a really popular meal for me this time of year. Also, did you know that my favourite food is SOUP? You might have noticed the trend...
I first had this soup during my first visit to the North East of the UK. I travelled there to visit J in his home town and stayed with his mom ("mam" where he is from). I had a lovely time learning about his childhood, getting to know the place he grew up in and met a lot of lovely and friendly people.
One of my favourite visit was to the award winning Knitsley Farm Shop. It was so beautiful and quaint. Everything I imagined an authentic British farm. They had an array of fresh meat, organic produce, cured meats, luscious cheeses and a cute cafe in the back where they offered a few dishes made with their gorgeous products/ingredients. If you happen to visit Durham, UK, I urge you to visit this place. It's a must for me now (I've been twice).
Photo credit: link
Photo credit: link
Photo credit: link
The best part of my trip was that I got to taste a lot of amazing home cooking by J's mom. Got to try a few British classics like Toad in the Hole, which I've attempted to make.
However, her Ham and Pea soup was so delicious and hearty that I had to attempt to relive it for myself again. It was like a warm hug, since the time I was there was deep into the heart of winter. It was a soup I kept remembering until now and so I thought I would try my version of this.
My version has cured meat (a bit like chorizo) instead of gammon. It won't beat J's mom's version but it kept me warm nonetheless.
Ingredients:
Olive oil for sauteing
50g of any cured meat of your choice
1 chopped shallots
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1 tsp of dry oregano
1 carton of no-salt added chicken stock (any stock will work well)
225g (half the bag of a 450g package) of Organic Yellow Split Peas (dry). I used President's Choice
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with red chili flakes and fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Direction:
- On med-high heat, add olive oil and saute shallots and cured meat until the shallot is soft and the cured meat has a bit of colour on it
- Add chopped carrots and celery and cook until soft
- Add dry oregano and season with salt and pepper
- Add dry yellow split peas, cook for about 5 mins
- Pour broth. Switch to high heat and let it boil
- Once it's boiling, lower heat to low-med and simmer for about 20 mins or until the peas are softer (note, the dry peas never really get super soft. I've noticed this even after I've soaked them for hours or cooked for a longer cooking time. I've just accepted they don't get that soft unless you cook forever)
- You can turn off your soup and let it cool a bit before using a hand blender (avoid burning your face off! I've made this mistake lol)
- Blitz the soup until it's to the consistency you like. I wanted the soup to be smooth but also be able to bite into the meat. This part is to your liking.
Enjoy!
(Thanks Angela - for the inspiration)
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