Polish Yellow Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Hock and Kielbasa

What you need

• 1 (about 600 g (1 lb 5 oz)) smoked ham hock
• 300 g (10 1/2 oz) yellow split peas, rinsed
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 parsley root, peeled and diced, or 1 parsnip
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) celery root, peeled and diced
• 3 medium potatoes, about 400 g (14 oz), peeled and diced
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) smoked bacon, diced
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 allspice berries
• 250 g (9 oz) smoked sausage, kielbasa, cut into rounds
• 2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• salt, to taste
• 6 slices rye bread, to serve

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the ham hock in a large pot with 2.5 l (10 cups) of cold water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.

2. 2

   Add the bay leaves and allspice berries. Simmer, partly covered, over low heat for 1 hour.

3. 3

   Add the split peas, carrots, parsley root and celery root. Simmer for 25 min, stirring from time to time so the peas do not stick.

4. 4

   Add the potatoes and simmer 20 min more, until the peas have broken down into a thick soup and the potatoes are soft. Top up with hot water if it gets too thick.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a dry pan over medium heat until crisp and golden, 6-8 min. Add the onion and cook in the bacon fat until golden, about 8 min, then stir in the garlic for 1 min.

6. 6

   Lift the hock out of the pot. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone and shred it. Discard the bone and skin. The meat should come away easily; if it resists, return the hock to the pot for 15 min.

7. 7

   Return the meat to the pot with the sausage, then scrape in the bacon and onion with all the fat.

8. 8

   Rub the marjoram between your palms over the soup. Add the pepper and simmer 10 min. Season with salt last, since the smoked meats are already salty.

9. 9

   Ladle into bowls and serve with rye bread.

Imported from polonist.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.