Dutch pea soup (always a favorite on chilly winter days)

It’s been some years ago when I made this Dutch soup which I learned from my mom-in-law.  With the grey and dreary weather and since I have a bit of time, having this for dinner tonight is just a great idea.

Pea soup or “erwtensoep” (pronounced as ‘er-te-sup’ in case the spelling seems daunting to the untrained eye) is a national favorite.  Ask any Dutchman if he/she likes “erwtensoep” and chances are, you’ll get a thumbs-up sign.

It is not difficult to understand why this is the best -loved soup in this country.  The ingredients are simple and the taste is wonderful.  Cooking is just about putting all ingredients in a pot and having the luxury of time to wait while it slowly boils for roughly 1.5 to 2 hours.

Hmmm…I can hardly wait for dinner time.  Hubby is also so excited.  One thing is sure, he’ll be fishing out those slices of Hema sausages to all go to his plate.

Ingredients:

400 grams split peas

400 grams pork meat with bones

1 medium sized carrot, chopped roughly

1 leek, sliced to about .5cm

1/4 celery root

1 big potato (optional)

1 onion

2 bay leaves

a handful of celery leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 liters water

1 Hema sausage, sliced to about 1 cm. thickness

Served with rye bread (roggebrood) and bacon (katenspek).  Katenspek is a cooked and smoked bacon which is later hanged to dry.

Cooking instruction:

1.  Put all the ingredients in a large soup pan except the Hema sausage.

2.  Bring to a boil at high heat.  Put heat to low and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the meat falls off the bone and the pea and other ingredients are already mushy.

3.  Around 5 minutes before the cooking ends, add the slices of the Hema sausage.

3.  Check the taste, add salt and pepper if necessary.

4.  Best served with rye bread and bacon.