Split Pea Soup

Method8 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: The night before, pick over and rinse all two hundred grams dry split peas. Cover with fresh soaking water and soak overnight in the refrigerator; then drain, discarding the soaking water. Put the raw cured gammon in a very large pan with only the separate two litres first-boil water and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and drain away all that water to reduce saltiness, retaining the gammon for the fresh soup water.

   Uses 200 g dry split peas, soaked overnight and drained before simmering · Fresh water to cover dry split peas for overnight soaking, discarded on draining · 1 kg raw cured gammon joint · 2 litres fresh water for first gammon boil, all discarded

2. 2

   Step 2: Peel and roughly chop both onions (2) and carrots (2). Wash, trim and roughly chop the celery stick (1). Cover the retained gammon with the separate two litres fresh cold main-soup water and bring to a boil again. Add all the soaked drained split peas, prepared onions, carrots, celery and both bay leaves (2); return to a boil.

   Uses The complete retained gammon · All split peas after soaking and draining · 2 litres fresh cold water for main soup after first gammon boil · 2 onions, roughly chopped · 2 carrots, roughly chopped · 2 bay leaves · 1 celery stick, roughly chopped

3. 3

   Step 3: Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for one and a half to two and a half hours. Add only the separate top-up water as needed to maintain about the initial liquid level. As the gammon softens, you may cut it in half so it remains submerged. Continue until the split peas and vegetables are tender and the gammon can be pulled into shreds.

   Simmer gammon and split peas until tender · 150 minUses The complete assembled soup pot · Additional water to maintain the main soup liquid level during simmering, as needed

4. 4

   Step 4: Check the gammon pulls readily into shreds and reaches at least63 °C /145 °F in its thickest part, and the split peas and vegetables are tender. Continue the gentle simmer if any are not ready.

   Uses The whole simmered pot

5. 5

   Step 5: Lift the fully cooked gammon onto a clean board, keeping the split-pea and vegetable broth in its pan. Let the meat rest for at least three minutes. When safe to handle, remove and discard the skin and any bones, then shred all the cooked meat with clean utensils or clean food-safe gloves. Hold the whole shredded meat batch ready.

   Rest cooked gammon before shredding · 3 minUses Lift out all gammon; retain soup broth in its pan

6. 6

   Step 6: Remove and discard both bay leaves from the retained soup. Stir in all three hundred grams frozen green peas and simmer for about one minute, continuing according to their package directions until fully cooked. Blend the cooked pea-and-vegetable soup until smooth, taking care with hot liquid.

   Source guide: simmer added green peas; follow their pack · 1 minUses The complete retained broth and cooked vegetables · 300 g frozen green peas

7. 7

   Step 7: If the blended soup is too thick, stir in only a splash of the separate thinning water. Return the blended soup to its pan and heat through until steaming hot. If reheating a made-ahead batch, heat throughout to74 °C / 165 °F.

   Uses The complete blended soup · A splash water for thinning blended soup, only if needed

8. 8

   Step 8: Mix most of the shredded cooked gammon into the hot soup, keeping some of that same batch for the topping. Divide the soup into eight bowls, scatter all the remaining shredded meat over them and serve with the crusty bread and separate serving butter. Cool any leftovers briefly and refrigerate promptly in shallow containers.

   Uses All hot finished soup · All prepared shredded gammon for mixing and topping · Crusty bread to serve, as desired · Butter to serve with the crusty bread, as desired