Recipe: Ham and yellow split pea soup

I made this with some leftover stock after boiling up a gammon joint.  It is frugal because the ham stock is what one might usually throw away after boiling up a ham.  To ensure it is not impossibly salty . . .

·       use unsmoked ham

·       soak the ham before boiling

If you don't have ham stock you could use vegetable stock but the flavour will be quite different, of course.

Below the thermomix method is the conventional method.

Ham and yellow split pea soup

Ingredients to make five portions 

100g yellow split peas

1 carrot, topped and tailed

1 rib celery, trimmed

1 onion, peeled

1 tsp olive oil

squidge garlic puree

200g potatoes, peeled and diced

500mls ham stock and 100ml water (to top up)

Good pinch dried mixed herbs

pepper

NO SALT as the ham stock will have salt in it.

Method:

Yellow split peas

Weigh the yellow split peas into the bowl and grind until powdered (it took nearly 2 mins on 10 so I rested it for a short time in the middle)

Tip the pea powder into a bowl and set aside.

carrot

celery

onion

Cut into chunks, put into the bowl and chop for about 10 seconds, speed 6

olive oil

garlic puree

Add the olive oil and sauté on 100, speed 2, 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and give it another minute.

potatoes

split pea powder

ham stock

Add the potatoes, pea powder and ham stock to the bowl.  Grind in some pepper and add a good pinch of dried herbs.

Cook on Varoma, 15 mins, speed 2, then check that it is cooked.  if not, give it a few more minutes.  Mine was fine.

Finally, blend the lot into the consistency you want, or leave it just as it is with a softly chunky texture.  It was very thick because I used two potatoes that needed using up as they were close to being chucked.  They’re not necessary really.

I found that it needed slackening with water - it was very think, especially once it had cooled.

It made four good portions or five school-lunch portions (five portions was 10p per portion)

The usual way:

Soak the peas overnight in water (which you then discard) or grind them to a powder.

Chop the vegetables into small dice and sauté in the oil until softened.  Add the garlic and give it a bit longer.

Add the peas, potatoes, stock, water and seasonings.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until everything is cooked, stirring occasionally.

Zizz with a blender until the way you want it.  Check seasonings and adjust if needed