Ingredients
Base
- 500 ggreen split peas
- 2.5 litreswater
- 500 gpork ribs or a pork hock
- 200 gstreaky bacon in one piece
Vegetables
- 2onions, chopped
- 3carrots, diced
- 1celeriac, diced
- 2leeks, sliced
- 1 bunchcelery leaf
- 500 gpotatoes, diced
To finish
- 2rookworst, sliced
- salt and black pepper
To serve
- dark rye bread
- katenspek
Directions
- Rinse the split peas and put them into a large pot with the water, the pork ribs and the bacon.
- Bring to the boil, skim thoroughly, then simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes until the peas have collapsed entirely.
- The peas must break down completely. Any that stay whole leave the soup grainy, and the smooth heaviness is the whole character of it.
- Lift the meat out, strip it from the bones and shred it, then return it to the pot.
- Add the onion, carrot, celeriac, leek, celery leaf and potato and cook for a further 45 minutes.
- Add the sliced rookworst for the final 15 minutes only, so it warms through without splitting.
- Season, then take it off the heat and leave it overnight.
- Erwtensoep is not eaten on the day it is made. It thickens and the flavour settles overnight, and Dutch cooks make it a day ahead as a matter of course rather than as a refinement.
- Reheat it gently the next day, adding a little water if it has set too solid to stir.
- It is judged ready when a spoon stands upright in it without support.
- Serve with dark rye bread and katenspek, and traditionally along the ice at a skating marathon.
Technique
- The standing spoon is a real test rather than a figure of speech. If it falls over, cook it down further.
- Celery leaf rather than celery stalk. It is a distinct ingredient here and gives the soup its particular scent.
- It freezes extremely well, which is just as well because the quantity is large.
Substitutions
- Any smoked sausage in place of rookworst.
- Smoked tofu and vegetable stock for a vegetarian pot, keeping the celery leaf.
Variations
- Snert, which is the same soup under its colloquial name.
- With a pig’s trotter added for extra body.
- Made thinner and served as a starter rather than a meal.
History
Thick winter pea soup with pork, judged ready when a spoon stands upright; it is sold along the ice at skating marathons.
Frequently asked questions
What is Erwtensoep?
Erwtensoep is a soup & stew from Netherlands: thick split-pea soup with smoked sausage, winter skating food. Thick winter pea soup with pork, judged ready when a spoon stands upright; it is sold along the ice at skating marathons.
How long does Erwtensoep take to make?
Erwtensoep takes 25 min plus overnight resting of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Erwtensoep?
Yes, within limits. Any smoked sausage in place of rookworst. Smoked tofu and vegetable stock for a vegetarian pot, keeping the celery leaf.
What is the most important thing to get right in Erwtensoep?
The peas must break down completely. Any that stay whole leave the soup grainy, and the smooth heaviness is the whole character of it.
