Erwtensoep recipe

Thanks Mieke for the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 500g dry split peas (about 2c)
• 2 medium-large carrots
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1/2 kohlseleri (or 2-3 stalks of regular celery)
• 1 onion
• 2 big leeks (or 4-6 smaller leeks)
• 1-2 bouillon cubes (vegetable or beef)
• 2 smoked sausages  (each sausage is about 200-300g)
• 3 pieces ham, with bone in (Haaskavbonade) (about 500g total).
  
  - you can change the amounts of the veggies, based on your preference.  One recipe calls for 10 carrots and no potatoes.  You can't really go wrong with this!
  
  

1)  fill big soup pot 1/2 full with water.

2)  add split peas, ham and bouillon*
3)  boil for 1- 1.5 hours, until peas are cooked

-- find a nice book to read, clean the house, chop veggies, or go on facebook ;) --

4)  wash and chop all other veggies (dice, into bite-sized pieces)
5)  once peas are cooked, take out ham and add all other veggies, simmer on low for 2-3 hours
6)  remove bone from ham and dice into bite-sized pieces.
6)  1/2 cook sausages in a separate pot.
8)  once veggies are all cooked, use immersion blender to blend.
8.5) I used an immersion blender because I don't like the look of the cooked split-peas.  But I think in the real dutch recipe, they just serve the soup as is.
9)  dice sausage into bite-sized rounds, and add to veggie pot with ham.

* The recipe that I used in Canada required the peas to be soaked in water overnight.  No need for that in this recipe.