Dutch pea soup
In our journey to make Dutch cuisine great again we cannot be a Dutch recipe site without Dutch pea soup. Dutch pea soup is locally called 'erwtensoep' or 'snert'. It is a thick green soup made with split peas, celeriac and pork. Dutch pea soup fans typically eat this soup in the winter, it is eaten as a full meal or as a side dish with rye bread (and cheese or a kind of bacon called 'katenspek' made from the belly instead the back of the pig).
Ingredients
For 2 persons:- 2.5 liter water
- 400 gram split peas
- Half celeriac
- 1 carrot
- 2 stock cubes
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 onion
- 150 gram smoked pork belly
Method
Rinse the split peas with cold water.
Boil the water in a soup pan and add the split peas.
Skin and cut the celeriac in small cubes.
Wash and cut the carrot fine.
Peal and cut the onion fine.
Cut the smoked pork belly in small cubes.
Add the vegetables, stock cubes and salt to the water and stir well.
The split peas will build up some foam, remove this with a slotted spoon.
Let the Dutch pea soup simmer for at least 1.5 hour with cover, stir well every 15 minutes to prevent burning on the pan bottom.
After 1.5 hour take the cover of the pan and let the pea soup thicken while stirring regularly.