Grochówka: Split Pea Soup with Ham Hock

Ingredients

• 1.1 lb ham hock, fresh or smoked, bone-in
• 3-4 bay leaves, optional
• 4-5 allspice berries, optional
• 10-10.5 oz (280-300 g) smoked bacon in a slab; unsliced
• 10.5 oz (300 g) split peas, dried, yellow
• 10.5 oz (300 g) whole peas, dried, yellow
• 2 medium carrots (4 oz, 110 g)
• 1 parsley root (2.8 oz, 80 g)
• 3.5 oz (100 g; a chunk) celery root
• 2 medium potatoes (6 oz, 170 g)
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp back pepper, ground

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the ham hock in a large cooking...: Place the ham hock in a large cooking pot. Pour in enough water to cover the knuckle completely.

2. 2

   Add in a few bay leaves and allspice...: Add in a few bay leaves and allspice berries. Cook on a low-medium heat, partially covering with a lid. [If the water evaporates too quickly in the process, and it doesn’t cover the meat anymore - pour in some H2O.] Cook until the meat is soft and falls off the bone. The exact cooking time will depend on the hock’s size, meat-to-bone ratio, the size of the pot… so you’ll have to test its doneness empirically (just poke it with a fork). In my case, it took 2.5 hours.

3. 3

   Fish the ham hock out; leave it on...: Fish the ham hock out; leave it on a plate to chill. Once the hock is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, shred, and set aside to stir back into the soup at the very end (discard the bones and any skin).

4. 4

   Peel the carrots, parsley and celery root, chop...: Peel the carrots, parsley and celery root, chop them into small cubes. Add the chopped veggies into the broth.

5. 5

   (optional) Cut the smoked skin off the bacon...: (optional) Cut the smoked skin off the bacon slab and add it into the cooking pot.

6. 6

   Chop the bacon slab into cubes and fry...: Chop the bacon slab into cubes and fry them in a frying pan. There’s no need to add any more fat for frying - enough should render from the bacon itself. When the bacon cubes turn lightly golden, add them into the cooking pot, laving the excess fat behind.

7. 7

   Add split peas and whole peas to the...: Add split peas and whole peas to the broth. Cook for 40-60 minutes on medium-low; stirring occasionally. If you feel like the soup gets too thick; add some water or chicken broth.

8. 8

   When the time is up, let’s add the...: When the time is up, let’s add the potatoes: peel them, chop into cubes and drop into the soup.

9. 9

   Season with marjoram, salt and pepper. Check the...: Season with marjoram, salt and pepper. Check the flavour; add more seasoning if needed. Cook for another 20 minutes, until potatoes turn soft.

10. 10

    We’re nearly done. Split peas turned mushy, thickening...: We’re nearly done. Split peas turned mushy, thickening the soup. Whole peas softened, but remained whole.

11. 11

    Retrieve the bacon skin from the pot, discard...: Retrieve the bacon skin from the pot, discard it. Add in shredded ham hock meat and cook the soup for another 3-5 minutes to warm the meat up.

12. 12

    Serve hot with a slice of rye bread.