Yellow pea soup has been a tradition since medieval times in Sweden, originally served as a nutritious Thursday supper prior to non-meat Fridays in line with their religious beliefs. The custom of Thursday pea soup is still popular in many households, at school lunches and in the army mess… always with pancakes, whipped cream and jam for afters that day!
Traditionally the soup is served with Skånsk mustard that is fairly strong and semi-smooth however we also enjoy it with Galloway Wholegrain Mustard when in Scotland. As pulses have a habit of making their presence known a few hours later, a wee dram of sweet liqueur is recommended to aid digestion and inhibit gas! This is presumably not served at school lunches and I couldn’t possibly comment on the army!
As it is based on cured pork and yellow peas it makes sense to cook a large batch when I have just boiled a Ramsay ham as I then have 2L of ham stock, a perfect base for the soup, with some ham trimmings added. If not, you can improvise by frying a few chopped rashers of bacon with the onions at the start also works, then add only water, never commercial stock, and season more generously. Some like it thick and solid whilst others prefer their soup a thinner consistency…the choice is yours to thin down with a little extra water if wished.
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| 6-8 persons |
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Yellow pea soup has been a tradition since medieval times in Sweden, originally served as a nutritious Thursday supper prior to non-meat Fridays in line with their religious beliefs. The custom of Thursday pea soup is still popular in many households, at school lunches and in the army mess… always with pancakes, whipped cream and jam for afters that day!
Traditionally the soup is served with Skånsk mustard that is fairly strong and semi-smooth however we also enjoy it with Galloway Wholegrain Mustard when in Scotland. As pulses have a habit of making their presence known a few hours later, a wee dram of sweet liqueur is recommended to aid digestion and inhibit gas! This is presumably not served at school lunches and I couldn’t possibly comment on the army!
As it is based on cured pork and yellow peas it makes sense to cook a large batch when I have just boiled a Ramsay ham as I then have 2L of ham stock, a perfect base for the soup, with some ham trimmings added. If not, you can improvise by frying a few chopped rashers of bacon with the onions at the start also works, then add only water, never commercial stock, and season more generously. Some like it thick and solid whilst others prefer their soup a thinner consistency…the choice is yours to thin down with a little extra water if wished.
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Ingredients
- 600 g yellow split peas soaked in a bowl of cold water overnight available at Ardross Farm Shop
- 2 L ham stock
- 2 large onions peeled & chopped
- A generous scrunch of dried marjoram leaves
- Freshly milled black pepper
- Galloway wholegrain mustard – added for garnish & served at side
- Summer Harvest Rapeseed Oil
- 75-100 g Ramsay's cooked ham chopped or shredded
Servings: persons
Instructions
- Add a drizzle of rapeseed oil to a large soup pan and soften chopped onions with the marjoram over a medium heat. Season with pepper but no salt as there is ample in the stock.
- Add ham stock and bring to the boil. Add the drained yellow split peas, stirring.
- Maintain a rapid simmer, lid on for an hour or so, stirring from time to time until the peas are soft.
- When the soup is ready, add chopped ham and heat through.
- Serve with mustard to taste and that wee dram.
Recipe Notes
Here is where to find the produce for this recipe...
Summer Harvest Rapeseed Oil