Pea Soup

1 tbsp  olive oil
1 onion roughly chopped
1 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
2 Carrots, peeled, cut into 1 cm pieces
2 potatos peeled and cut into 1 cm pieces
1 pk of yellow split peas
Large ham hock 

 

I usually soak the peas in a bowl of water over night to make them quicker to cook, but you don’t have to.

 

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavybottomed saucepan over medium heat.
 

Sauté the onion, garlic, for 5 minutes or until the onions soften. Season with salt and pepper.
 

Pour in split peas,  water and stir to combine. Add ham hock and vegetables cover pan and bring to a low simmer.

Cook for about 1- 2 hour, stirring occasionally, or until ham hock and vegetables are tender and peas are falling apart.

When the soup is ready, remove the ham hock to a plate and let it sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle.

 

Pull the skin and meat off the bone and shred into bite-size pieces. Discard the bone and skin. Return meat to soup and stir. (If necessary, add a little stock or water to thin.) 

 

 

Note: if you want a bit more flavour you can use some chicken stock as well as water – I usually just use water