Traditional Dutch Pea Soup Recipes

OLD-FASHIONED SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM BONE

Steps:

• Sort peas and rinse with cold water. Place peas in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until peas are softened. Drain and rinse peas, discarding liquid., Return peas to Dutch oven. Add 2-1/2 qts. water, ham bone, onion, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally., Remove the ham bone; when cool enough to handle, remove meat from bone. Discard bone; dice meat and return to soup. Add carrot and celery. Simmer, uncovered, for 45-60 minutes or until soup reaches desired thickness and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.

ERWTENSOEP - DUTCH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Wash the peas and soak them overnight in the amount of water given. Next day bring them to the boil together with the spareribs and the bacon; simmer on very low heat for approx 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the leeks and the celeriac; cook for another hour or until the soup becomes thick - with the lid off. Lift out the spareribs, remove the meat from the bones, and return the meat to the pan.
• Add the sausage, let it warm through and season the soup to taste and maybe add bouillion cube(s) , add the chopped celery leaves and parsley just before serving.

TRADITIONAL DUTCH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse peas, remove bad ones and soak in 2L water with salt for 12 hours.
• Bring the peas with the soaking water to the boil and simmer for about 2 hours until tender and cooked. Add the bacon and pork trotter after 1 hour.
• After the 2 hours, take out the meat and pour of the cooking liquid. Use a masher to mash the peas, I prefer them fine but you can also leave some chunks.
• Pour the cooking liquid back and put the meat back in. Also add in the potatoes, celeriac, leeks and celery.
• Season with salt and pepper, and add some more water if the soup is too thick.
• While stirring, bring soup back to a simmer and cook until vegetables are tender.
• Meanwhile heat the smoked sausage (follow instructions on packaging) and slice.
• Take out the bacon and slice. The sausage and bacon can be served on the side, or can be put back in the soup.
• Take out the pork trotter, serve on the side, or slice off the meat and put back in the soup.
• If preparing in advance: refrigerate everything and prepare smoked sausage when serving.
• Serve in big bowls with slices of rye bread, that can be topped with the bacon or the sausage, and some mustard.

SNERT (SPLIT PEA SOUP)

Steps:

• Place dried split peas, ham hock, and bacon into slow cooker; pour in chicken broth and 3 1/2 cups water.
• Cover cooker and cook on High until peas are tender and broken apart, 3 to 4 hours. Stir in more water as needed to prevent soup from burning on the bottom. Stir occasionally throughout cooking.
• Stir potatoes, carrots, leek, onion, celery, and garlic into soup; mix in more water, if needed. Cover and cook soup on High for 2 more hours.
• Season with salt, black pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and cloves; mix sausage slices into soup. Cover and cook 2 more hours to blend the flavors.

DUTCH PEA AND HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, onion and garlic, and sauté until very tender (10-12 minutes). Add chopped celeriac, ham hock, smoked ribs, split peas and 3 litres water. Bring to the simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, topping up with water to keep ham hock covered and skimming off foam from the top occasionally, until ham hock and split peas are very tender (2½-3 hours). Remove hock and ribs and set aside to cool, then shred meat (discard skin, bones and sinew). Purée soup with a hand-held blender, add meat to soup, heat through, season to taste and keep warm.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep-sided frying pan or deep-fryer to 160C. Add sliced celeriac and fry, turning occasionally, until golden (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a tray lined with paper towels using a slotted spoon. Season to taste with sea salt flakes and set aside until required.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, cook sausages, turning occasionally, until golden (1-2 minutes). Serve scattered over hot soup with celery leaves and snow pea tendrils, and celeriac chips to the side.

TRADITIONAL DUTCH SPLIT PEA SOUP (SNERT)

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large soup pot , bring water, split peas, pork belly or bacon, pork chop, and bouillon cube to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and skimming off any foam that rises to the top.
• Remove the pork chop, debone, and thinly slice the meat. Set aside.
• Add the celery, carrots, potato, onion, leek, and celeriac to the soup. Return to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes, adding a little extra water if the ingredients start to stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Add the smoked sausage for the last 15 minutes of cooking time. When the vegetables are tender, remove the bacon and smoked sausage, slice thinly, and set aside.
• If you prefer a smooth consistency, purée the soup with a stick blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the meat back to the soup, setting some slices of rookworst aside.
• Serve in heated bowls or soup plates, garnished with slices of rookworst and chopped celery leaf.