Name: Pea Soup with Smoked Meat
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 6 platters
Ingredients: 500 g yellow split peas; 400 g Moravian smoked meat; 2.5 l water; 400 g potatoes; 2 pcs carrot; 1 pc parsley root; 100 g celeriac; 1 pc onion; 2 cloves garlic; 30 g butter; 2 teaspoons marjoram; 2 pcs bay leaves; 1 teaspoon ground pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 pcs sausage

Step by step process

Preparing the peas and meat

1
Good pea soup starts with dried peas. Sort through them and rinse under cold water. Then let them soak in cold water for at least four hours, ideally overnight, since soaking helps them break down faster and more evenly.
2
Place the smoked meat in a pot, cover it with cold water, and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat. Simmer the meat for about 40 minutes, until it begins to soften. Do not pour out the broth, as it becomes the base of the whole soup.

Cooking the soup

3
Add the drained peas to the pot with the smoky broth along with a bay leaf. Cook over low heat for 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally and skim off the foam. The peas should gradually fall apart and thicken the liquid.
4
Meanwhile, soften finely chopped onion in butter. Add diced carrot, parsley root, and celeriac, and saute briefly. Stir these root vegetables into the soup together with the diced potatoes.
TIP:
Sauté onions over medium heat until they soften and lightly brown. Stir occasionally and do not overheat them, so the caramelization happens slowly. This technique is suitable for many recipes.
5
Remove the cooked smoked meat. Separate it from the bones, cut it into pieces, and return it to the pot. Cook the soup for another 20 minutes, until the potatoes and vegetables are tender and the peas have cooked down smooth.
TIP:
Partially blend the soup with an immersion blender or mash it to make it creamy but not completely smooth. This trick softens and moistens the texture of the soup and other thick sauces.

Seasoning and serving

6
Season the soup with pressed garlic, marjoram, ground pepper, and salt. Remove the bay leaf. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a little hot water and simmer briefly.
7
Ladle the finished soup into deep bowls and serve it hot. A pan-fried sausage and a slice of dark rye bread go wonderfully with it.

More tips:

Before returning the meat, you can blend part of the cooked peas with an immersion blender. The soup will then be velvety and thick, yet still have some chunks.

Instead of the smoked meat, use a smoked ham hock or Mettwurst sausage, as is customary in Germany. Always taste before adding salt, since smoked meat is salty on its own.

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