Get out your frozen peas and give them some love with this awesome pea, parsley and ham hock soup. Its a synch to make, cheap as chips and with the addition of slow cooked flaky ham hock the flavour is next level. Recipe below. Pea, Parsley & Ham Hock Soup (serves 4 as a starter) Soup all year round, why not. Packed with spring flavours and flaked ham hock, this soup is simple to make and the ham hock is a great alternative to traditional bacon if you want to give it a try. Ham Hock ingredients(if you don’t want to use the ham hock, 6-8 crispy rashers of bacon will substitute nicely) 1 ham/bacon hock about 8-900 grams (you can get this from your butcher or any good supermarket) 2 bay leaves 10 peppercorns 4 strips of orange zest 1 brown onion quartered 1 celery stalk (halved) 2 large carrots cut in thirds 1 cinnamon quill Soup ingredients 30g unsalted butter 450g frozen peas 1 large bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped 725ml of the ham hock cooking liquid (or vegetable stock) 150ml double cream, plus extra to serve Flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper Extra virgin olive oil 1 loaf of ciabatta or sour dough, sliced 2 garlic cloves cut in half Flaked Ham Hock Place all the ingredients in a large heavy bottom pot, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary. After 3 hours the meat should be falling off the bone. Remove the hock and cool. Shred the meat off the bone discarding the skin and fat and set aside. The ham hock can be prepared the day before and reheat when required*. To make the soup Heat a large saucepan on a medium heat, add the butter. When its melted and bubbling add the peas and parsley then stir in 725ml of the cooking liquid from the ham hock. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Transfer to a blender and pulse to form a purée. (If necessary do this in two batches and be careful blending hot liquids) Or you can use a stick blender. Return to the saucepan to heat through, season with salt and black pepper. Heat a griddle pan or grill until hot, drizzle olive oil over the sliced bread, then place on the griddle or under the grill until charred. Once charred rub each side with the cut garlic for added flavour. To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls, top with some of the shredded ham hock, a drizzle of cream and a splash of extra virgin olive oil and the crusty charred garlic bread. *Sieve and reserve the cooking liquid to use in the soup.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Oct 2014 06:43:09 +0000
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