Spring it on!

The changing of season from Winter to Spring always makes me excited! I’m a summer lovin’ gal who thrives on the warmth and the fresh food of the season. But Spring always brings lots of changes, so I thought that while it’s still a little cool I would share a nice wholesome soup with you.

Perfect for those cool spring nights, packed with veggies - it will make you feel wholesome from the inside out.

I’ve tried to make this traditional soup as healthy as I can; I trim the fat from the hock, and when the stock has solidified I remove the remaining fat on top to reduce the overall fat content.

Serve it with love and warm toasted gluten free bread.

WHOLESOME PEA & HAM SOUP

Serves 6-8 I Gluten Free I Dairy Free I Nut Free I Egg Free

PROVISIONS

1 smoked ham hock, skin removed
1 leek
8 peppercorns
3 bay leaves
1 zucchini
Splash of olive oil
2 carrots, diced
1 1/2cup pumpkin, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 1/2cups dried green split peas
Handful parsley, chopped
Sea salt & freshly cracked pepper

METHOD

To prep your leek, cut the green part off and wash well, reserve the white part.
In a large pot add ham hock, green part of leak, peppercorns, bay leaves, zucchini and fill the pot with cold water until three quarters full. Bring to the boil then simmer for almost 2 hours.
Take it off the heat and let it cool. Once cooled put it in the fridge overnight.
The following day, remove the soup from the fridge, remove all of the solidified fat off the top of stock using a spoon. Discard fat. Put on a high heat to melt the jellied stock.
Meanwhile dice the white part of the leek.
Take ham hock out of the stock, let it cool, then pull apart and chop the meat. Set aside.
Strain stock through a fine sieve into another large pot, this will ensure no grit is in the stock from the green park of the leek.
Bring sieved stock to the boil then add leek, carrots, celery, pumpkin, garlic, split peas, parsley and season. Reduce to a simmer stirring occasionally so the peas don’t stick to bottom. Return the pork. Add boiled water if it gets too thick. Simmer until dried peas are soft.
Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh parsley and toasted bread. Find my recipe for gluten free bread here. Enjoy!