Split pea soup - winter soup

It's that time again....Temperatures are dropping and getting closer to the freezing point, wind is getting harsher and rain seems to be here all day. Time to make split pea soup, a thick, hearty soup/meal that'll get the coming winter out of your head. This soup can be served as a meal with some bread, there's quite some meat in it.

Ingredients:

• 500gr. split peas
• 200gr. thick,smoked bacon. Cut in chunks
• 1 cooked smoked sausage; +/- 250gr. Cut in rings
• 1 small, smoked ham hock
• 3 onions, chopped
• 2 leeks, chopped in rings

Melt a big knob of butter in a large pan and fruit the onions. Clean the leeks under running water and add it to the onions. Let it fruit together with the onions for a minute or 2. Add the split peas. Normally you should let the peas soak in water overnight but I just add them to the soup and let all that simmer for about 2 hours, comes out nicely.

Submerge completely, ham hock also

When you've added the peas to the pan you put as much water in the pan untill all is submerged. Put in the ham hock and the bacon, bring to a boil and let it simmer for 2 hours.

Take out the ham hock and most of the bacon, not easy but you don't need to get it all out, leave some in the pan. Mix the soup untill you get a thick silky soup. Taste and season with pepper and salt.

Cut up the ham hock in bitesize pieces and add to the soup again together with the bacon. I usually let this rest overnight to get an even more intense taste.

You'll notice that this will turn into a thick, puree-like soup after a night so you'll need to add hot water to make it more liquid. 

Add the sliced smoked sausages, let it warm up for another 8-10 minutes and serve with some golden croutons.

You'll be warmed up under a minute! ;)

Enjoy,

Kev

Pumpkin & goat cheese soup

This soup is a lovely dish to warm yourself up now that the temps are dropping and fall is getting closer :(
Buy a big pumpkin and cut out the flesh, you'll need about 2kg, or buy them in halves. Make a scary halloween face with the emptied pumpkin, the kids will love it and so do I.

Ingredients:

• about 2 kg. of pumpkin flesh (you can buy halves at your local supermarket)
• 3 onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bouquet garni (2 bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of thyme, tied together)
• 2 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 3 cardamon pods( only the seeds not the outer shell)
• About 1,5lt. of chicken stock
• Worcestershire sauce
•  about 100gr. of goat cheese, Sainte Maure or similar
• 2 big potatoes, diced
• 2-3 slices of bread(some old slices), cut in small cubes
• garlic powder
• smoked/cured meat, I used speck but anything else will do....

Cut the pumpkin flesh(peeled of course) in cubes. Chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic finely.

Heat up some olive oil with a knob of butter and fruit the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in it. Add the cubed pumpkin and fruit for a couple of minutes.

Add the chicken stock, make sure all of the pumkin is submerged in the stock. Throw in a big pinch of salt and black pepper ,a couple of grates of nutmeg and the bouquet garni. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes.

Then add the diced potatoes and let them cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the peel/skin of the goat cheese and dice the cheese. Add it to the hot soup,take out the bouquet garni and mix with your stick mixer till you get a silky soup. Check the seasoning and add some salt and/or pepper if needed.

Add some drops of worcestershire sauce and done!

Croutons:

Heat up some olive oil in a frying pan and add a big pinch of garlic powder to the hot oil. Then,on high heat, fry the cubes of bread untill golden brown and crispy.

Slice up the smoked/cured meat.

Pour the hot soup in a bowl, add the croutons and sliced meat.

Now you'll have a sweet,silky pumpkin soup with a nice goat cheese taste that contradicts nicely with the sweetness.

Enjoy,

Kev