Delia Smith Pea Ham Soup Recipes

SPLIT PEA AND VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• First, in a large cooking pot, melt the fat, then cook the bacon and onion in it for 5 minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables - give them a good stir round in the butter and let them colour a little at the edges over a fairly low heat. Then pour in the stock and add the washed split peas. Bring everything back up to simmering point, skim the surface if there's any scum, then put a lid on and continue to simmer very gently for about 11/2 hours, or until the peas are absolutely soft. Now liquidise the soup just a little (or else sieve it) - but it shouldn't be too uniformly smooth. Taste, season, re-heat and serve the soup garnished with some croutons crisp fried in bacon fat. Note: There's no need to soak the split peas, but the length of cooking time may vary 30 minutes or so either way.

THE LONDON PARTICULAR - GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP

Steps:

• First strain off 3½ pints (2 litres) bacon stock into a large saucepan and bring just up to simmering point, then add the split peas, stir well and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat 1 oz (25 g) of the butter in another saucepan and add 4 oz (110 g) of the bacon along with the prepared vegetables. Cook them over a medium heat until softened and nicely golden - this will take about 15 minutes. After that the bacon and softened vegetables can be transferred to join the stock and split peas. Then add some salt and freshly milled pepper, put the lid on and simmer very gently for a further 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile heat a frying pan (without any fat in it) and fry the remaining bacon until it is really crisp, then transfer it to a plate using a draining spoon. Next add 1 oz (25 g) of the butter to the pan, and as soon as it begins to foam add the cubes of bread and fry these, tossing them around, for about five minutes until they are also nice and crisp. When the soup is ready, either process it in a food processor or liquidise, then return it to the saucepan. Taste to check the seasoning, adding just a little more of any reserved stock if it seems a little too thick. Just before serving melt the remaining butter into it, then ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle each one with the croutons and crispy bacon bits.

FRESH SHELLED PEA SOUP

Steps:

• First of all, in a large saucepan melt the butter and gently saute the chopped spring onions, lettuce, bacon and spinach for about 5 minutes, then add the peas and some salt and stir everything together. Then pour in 1¼ pints (725 ml) boiling water from the kettle. Next, add the sugar, put on a lid and let the peas simmer gently for 10-15 minutes, or until they are soft. Now allow the soup to cool a little, then whiz it to a purée in batches in a blender until smooth. You'll find it helpful to have a bowl handy to put the first batch in. Taste and season with more salt (if it needs it) and freshly milled black pepper, then gently reheat. Stir the mint into the soup and serve in hot bowls, garnishing each one with a teaspoon of crème fraîche and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

HAM AND SPLIT PEA SOUP RECIPE - A GREAT SOUP

Steps:

• Place the butter in a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, and sliced garlic. Cook slowly until the onions are translucent but not brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Mix in ham, bay leaf, and split peas. Pour in chicken stock and water. Stir to combine, and simmer slowly until the peas are tender and the soup is thick, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper to serve.

SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM HOCKS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion, celery and carrots over medium-high heat. Add peas and ham hock and cover with stock by a couple inches. Bring to a simmer and cook about 1 hour until soup is thick and peas have almost disintegrated but not quite. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Remove ham hock and let cool. Pull meat from ham hock bone and shred. Garnish with ham and pepper.

SOUP MAKER PEA & HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Put the onion, potatoes, stock and peas into a soup blender, and press the 'smooth soup' function. Make sure you don't fill the soup maker above the max fill line.
• Once the cycle is complete, season, and stir in the ham before serving.

PEA & HAM SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a knob of butter in a saucepan and when lightly foaming gently cook 1 chopped onion until softened, but not coloured.
• Tip in 1 peeled and diced medium potato and stir to coat in butter, then pour over 1l ham or pork stock. Simmer until softened.
• Tip in 500g frozen petit pois and bring back to the boil. Cook for a couple of mins.
• Remove from the heat and blend until smooth. Stir in 300g diced ham and serve.