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Green Pea Soup, Smoked Ham Creme Fraiche Dumplings

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This vibrant Green Pea Soup is delicious with smoked ham and who can pass up a little dumpling action too?

Green Pea Soup

Green Pea Soup is like a warm hug

I was watching an episode of Australian Master chef this week.  The contestants had to make a soup. Of course the soups that they made were not the everyday soup you might make after a long day at work but the sentiment was the same. One of the contestants said something that really made me think.

“Soup always reminds all of us of home. Everyone grows up eating soups in the winter, like a warm hug from Mum”.  This made me feel upset and inadequate ……. I haven’t hugged my son in years….. his rejection of soups in the past has left me without a weeknight soup on his menu plan. We had a talk tonight.

” Skater” , I said,  “You have to eat soup”…..

“Soup?” he said..” why?” ….

” Well, cause it’s like a hug ” I said. … and then he said.

“Oh, OK I’ll try it”. That is certainly not what I expected him to say. He has agreed that it would be a good start if I made him a meatball soup with perhaps some pasta in it ( so it is not too much different to his every other day fare)

I made this Green Pea, Smoked Ham Soup with Creme Fraiche Dumplings and it is so good. I don’t think Skater is ready for this one yet but one of the ladies I gave a bowl to said it reminded her of home and her Mother !  Oh…..now if only  could get Skater to eat some.

I have added frozen peas to this soup. This is completely optional however it makes the soup greener and gives it a fresh almost sweet flavour… you will love. Creme fraiche alone dolloped on this soup can also replace the dumplings if you don’t have the energy to make the dumplings.

Green Pea Soup

Green Pea Soup, Smoked Ham and Creme Fraiche Dumplings

This is a wonderful soup in cold weather. Smokey ham and lovely soft dumplings make the perfect comfort food. Extra green peas keep the colour and the vitamins up.
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Cook Time 2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 250 gm celery chopped
  • 250 gm onion chopped
  • 250 gm carrots chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 litres chicken stock beef
  • 500 gm dried green split peas
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 kg green peas frozen
  • 1 whole smoked ham hock large meaty
  • 1/4 cup Parsley chopped
  • 30 gm butter
  • 40 ml olive oil

Creme Fraiche Dumplings

  • 100 gm butter melted
  • 100 gm creme fraiche
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 270 gm plain flour 1 3/4 cups
  • 1 bunch chives chopped
  • 5 gm salt and pepper
  • 1 litre chicken stock to cook the dumplings

Instructions
 

  • Add a little oil to a large pot ( or pressure cooker)and add the onion,celery,carrot, garlic and sweat till soft.
  • Add the ham hock bay leaf and green split peas with 2 litres of stock.
  • Put the lid on and simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. ( Until the ham is falling from the bone and the peas are mushy)
  • Remove the hock and discard the skin and bones . Break the meat up with two forks or chop it with a knife . Set aside keeping warm
  • Put the frozen peas into the soup and bring up to the boil, just so the peas defrost then puree till very smooth.
  • Add the meat and dumplings to the soup or serve on top separately.

Dumplings

  • Put the eggs , butter, creme fraiche, flour and salt and pepper into the food processor with chopped chives. Blitz just till incorporated, pour this sticky dough into a container and refrigerate for up to 1/2 hour or longer to rest. (These can be made ahead of time and reheated in the soup or in stock).
  • Form small balls with damp hands, then drop 1/4 of them into boiling chicken stock or soup until they float. Fish them out with a slotted spoon and cook another batch . These are also great tossed with ham hock and tomato sauce and covered in cheese.
  • Serve the soup with the ham meat and dumplings on top with lots of parsley.

Notes

You can cook the soup and ham in a pressure or slow cooker
1. If needed reheat ham and dumplings- toss them both into a shallow pan with a little stock till warmed through, then spoon onto soup
2.The dumplings are also great tossed with ham hock and tomato sauce and covered in cheese.

 Does this soup remind you of home or even a warm hug?. I hope so.

 www.mykitchenstories.com.au

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Comments

  1. Susan

    This post made me a little teary. Yes, soup reminds me of my mother, especially soup with little dumplings like this. I’m glad you give your son plenty of hugs, culinary and otherwise.

    Reply

  3. eronel

    Nice soup Tania, maybe you were out of the country at the time, but your Mum used to make a pretty good Green pea Soup. It seemed like a pretty weird recipe years ago and it was pretty adventurous for her, it had peas, lettuce apples and curry. It was pretty good and I made it a lot a long time ago, thanks for reminding me.

    Reply

  9. Diane

    What a great idea (the dumplings!!!)- This is definitely one I’m gonna try. Comforting and “huggingly” delicious

    Reply

  10. Hotly Spiced

    What a beautiful looking soup. I love how you styled it and yes, I think the peas give it a more vibrant colour. Very impressed with your creme fraiche dumplings – they must have been awesome with the flavours of the soup xx
    Hotly Spiced recently posted..Lunching BloggersMy Profile

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