THUNDER BAY – FOOD – The Dutch love smoked sausage, ham, and bacon. A smoked pork hock adds a hint of smoke and salt to this hearty comforting soup. A meaty ham bone can be used in place of the hock or not at all if you prefer a meatless version. But you don’t have to be Dutch to enjoy tasty economical Pea Soup.
Our friends at Foodland Ontario offer this recipe for your cooking experiment and enjoyment.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Makes about 9 cups (2.25 L)
1 smoked Ontario Pork Hock, about 1 lb (500 g)
2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
1 Ontario Onion, chopped
1 Ontario Carrot, diced
1 stalk Ontario Celery, diced
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) green split peas, rinsed
1 clove Ontario Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each dried thyme leaves and pepper
6 cups (1.5 L) sodium-reduced chicken or vegetable broth
Remove skin and excess fat from pork hock.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in split peas, garlic, thyme, and pepper. Add pork hock and broth; cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered stirring occasionally, until pork hock is tender when pierced, about 1-1/2 hours.
Remove pot from heat, transfer pork hock to cutting board. Cool slightly. Purée soup with an immersion blender or transfer soup to a blender to purée.
Remove meat from pork hock and shred. Garnish each bowl with shredded meat.
Nutritional Information:
1 Serving
PROTEIN: 16 grams
FAT: 3 grams
CARBOHYDRATE: 23 grams
CALORIES: 178
FIBRE: 3 grams
SODIUM: 400 mg
Printed with permission from Foodland Ontario.