Pea and ham soup is a classic winter warmer. Here we've nabbed a little of the ham hock to use in the cheesy jaffles we've served on the side.
Split pea and ham soup with ham and cheddar jaffles
Split pea and ham soup with ham and cheddar jaffles recipe - Heat butter in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add onion, fennel and garlic and sauté until tender (6-8 minutes).
- 20 mins preparation
- 2 hrs 45 mins cooking
- Serves 4
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Ingredients
- 40 gm butter, coarsely chopped
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 ham hock (about 1.2kg)
- 500 gm dried green split peas (2¼ cups)
- 360 gm frozen baby green peas (3 cups)
- 1 cup baby spinach (firmly packed)
- ½ cup mint, plus extra to serve (firmly packed)
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley (firmly packed)
- Finely grated rind and juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
Ham and cheddar jaffles
- Softened butter, for spreading
- 8 slices soft white bread
- Dijon mustard, to taste
- 60 gm coarsely grated vintage Cheddar (½ cup)
Method
Main
- 1Heat butter in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Add onion, fennel and garlic and sauté until tender (6-8 minutes). Add ham hock, cover with cold water (about 4 litres), bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, half-cover with a lid and cook until ham is falling from the bone (1-1½ hours). Remove hock, cool, then discard skin and bone. Shred meat and reserve.
- 2Meanwhile, add split peas to the stock and simmer until very tender (45 minutes to 1 hour). Add baby peas and simmer until bright green (1-2 minutes). Stir in spinach, parsley and mint to just wilt, then purée with a hand-held blender (or in batches in a blender) until smooth. Stir in lemon rind and juice, season to taste and keep warm.
- 3For the jaffles, heat a jaffle maker. Butter bread slices, then place half the slices butter-side down on a work surface. Spread with mustard to taste, top with ham hock (you won’t need all the meat; add remainder to soup), then cheese. Season to taste and sandwich with remaining bread butter-side up. Toast in jaffle maker until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Scatter soup with extra mint and serve hot with jaffles.
Notes
Drink Suggestion: Robust brown porter Drink suggestion by Max Allen