Warm up after a cold day... Hearty typical Dutch pea soup

 This typical Dutch pea soup is the perfect way to become warm again after a freezing cold day. It's a typical winter dish which is also called "snert" in Dutch. It does take a while to prepare, but the result is mouth watering !

The recipe will served about 4 persons.

1 pork leg or about 600 grams or pork crabs or pork chops

1 smoked sausage

400 grams split peas

2 bay leaves

1 large or 2 small leeks steal

1 small celeriac

1 large carrot

3 vegetable stock cubes

salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Bring 2 ltr water with the stock cubes to a boil and add the meat, split peas and bay leaf. Bring to boil again, turn the heat to low and leave it with the lid on the pan for about 2 hours to simmer, stirring every once a while. In the meantime, cut the leeks into rings and the peeled celeriac and carrot in dices. Add them to the soup and leave to simmer for another 30 minutes. Take the meat out of the soup and remove the meat from the bones, cut it in cubes and put them back into the pan. Season the soup to your taste with salt and pepper.

Add the smoked sausage to the soup for the last 10-15 min. to heat through. Take it out and cut it into diagonal slices before putting it back into the soup.

Serve the soup with rye bread, which has been thinly spread with (honey)mustard and bacon slices.

Tip:

If you prefer a slightly thicker soup, then add a diced potatoes to the soup for the last 30 minutes. Because of the starch of the potatoes the soup will naturally thicken.