Pea and ham hock soup

This could be my favourite soup of all time or at least in my top 3. I love it because it realistically can take over a day to make and last for at least a week as well.

Ingredients

1 Large Ham Hock (Raw)

5 Litres of Water (can be topped up a little)

2 Carrots peeled and roughly chopped

2 White onions peeled and roughly chopped

3 Sticks of celery roughly chopped

750g Green split peas

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Method

1. 1. Place all the ingredients except the peas, salt and pepper into a stock or large pot.
2. 2. Bring to the boil then consistently simmer for several hours until you can easily pull the meat away from the bone.
3. 3. Remove the ham and cool then keep the rest in the pot.
4. 4. Add the peas to the liquid and simmer again. It would be another couple of hours until this is ready and the soup will “self-blend” meaning the peas will break down and becomes a puree and will also break down the vegetables as well.
5. 5. Meanwhile once the ham hock has cooled down enough to handle remove the fat and evenly dice the ham into cubes. This can be as big as you like.
6. 6. Once the soup resembles a thick green soup it is ready! Season, add ham and serve! You can add water to make it the consistency you like.