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It's Shrove Tuesday next week, and before feasting on delicious Lenten buns (I've blogged about the classic ones, chocolate ones and decadent raspberry and marzipan ones), Estonians eat split pea soup. Thick, hearty ...
It's Shrove Tuesday next week, and before feasting on delicious Lenten buns (I've blogged about the classic ones, chocolate ones and decadent raspberry and marzipan ones), Estonians eat split pea soup. Thick, hearty, well-flavoured (smoked pork!) and textured (peas + pearl barley) - all the elements of a substantial and delicious winter soup are present. Here's a recipe that I've been using for years to make a big (I mean it!) pot of delicious soup.
It's a fusion recipe, of a kind. You see - apparently in the Southern Estonia, they used to put barley in the split pea soup; in the North, they replaced the pearl barley with cubed carrots and potatoes. I use them all, so it's a meet-me-in-the-middle soup :)
Pick through the peas and pearl barley to remove any grit. Place into a bowl, pour over enough cold water to cover by couple of centimetres and leave to soak. (This reduces the cooking time considerably).
Place the smoked pork into a large bowl (definitely larger than 5 litres!). Add the 3 litres of water and bring slowly into a boil. Remove any froth and scum that appears on the surface.
Rinse the soaked barley and peas, drain and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil again, then reduce heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for about an hour.
Meanwhile, peel and chop (or grate coarsely) the onion, carrots and potatoes. If you wish, you can sauté the onion and carrots in some oil - this enhances the flavour.
Interesting recipe. Our latest pea soup has been a version from Quebec using whole yellow peas, as well as some form of smoked pork. I haven't tried adding barley, but I like the idea!