Snert (pea soup)

Ingredients

• 500 g green split peas
• 2 liters water
• 1 pig's trotter (or pork shank)
• 200 g smoked bacon (in one piece)
• 2 smoked sausages
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 200 g celeriac, diced
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stock cubes (chicken or pork)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Rye bread and butter, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the split peas well under cold water and let them drain.Put the split peas in the soup pot with 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. Regularly skim off the foam that rises to the surface with a skimmer.Add the pig's trotter, the bacon and the stock cubes. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for 60 minutes with the lid slightly ajar.Remove the pig's trotter and the piece of bacon from the pot. Cut the meat from the trotter and dice the bacon. Set aside.Add the potatoes, celeriac, leeks and carrot to the pot. Cook for another 30 minutes over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the soup begins to thicken.Stir the meat from the pig's trotter and the diced bacon through the soup. Add the smoked sausages, sliced, and let them warm through for another 10 minutes.Season with salt, pepper and, if you like, a pinch of nutmeg. Stir well and taste to check the seasoning.Serve the snert in deep bowls with rye bread and butter. Store the rest in the refrigerator—it's even better the next day.