Snert - or Erwtensoep: Dutch pea soup you can stand a spoon in.
Every country has a version of pea soup: something thick and warming based on dried legumes or pulses. I became addicted to Snert in the Netherlands. When the winter is deep and the ice is thick, what better way to warm up after a walk along the canals? Or, as is the way, after a bit of skating on a frozen canal?
It's "Sort of Snert" because, where I'm using pork belly, [one of the many] traditional recipes use pork chops with the bones; these are removed later in the process, boned and shredded then popped back in. Rookworst is the sausage, but it just means smoked sausage, so I stand by that!
INGREDIENTS
300g dried split peas
potato
onion
bacon/lardons
pork belly - properly it's a pork chop with the bone in; I had pork belly
leek
carrots
celeriac (about a quarter of an average one)
smoked sausage
Watch the video
METHOD
Trim and wash the carrots, and peel the celeriac & potato
Cut them into roughly 1cm chunks - you don't need to be precise; there isn't a test.
Wash and slice the leek & onion
Cut the pork belly into chunks - if you're using pork chops, put them in whole; you'll bone them and cut them up later
Rinse the peas in cold water - you don't need to soak them overnight, but if you do, it cuts your cooking time down. However, I like the longer cooking time - more flavour
Peas, pork & bacon in a pot and add about 2.5L cold water
Bring it to the boil
You'll need to skim the scum - that's the bit the kids always fight over: scum-skimming
Simmer for about 10 minutes, then add all the veg
Add salt & pepper, cover and cook for 4 hours. 2 hours if you've soaked the peas, but you're making a mistake...
Check and stir every so often to stop it sticking
At the end add the smoked sausage. It's at this point you would take out the chop, bone it, cut it up and add the meat back in
It's ready when you can stand a spoon in it
Enjoy with dark rye bread (with bacon on it). I made a dense wholemeal loaf - tasty.