Pea Soup with Smoked Pork Knuckle

Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner, and with it comes the traditional, rich pea soup. You can find some decent ready-made versions in stores, but nothing beats the special flavor and warmth of a soup made from scratch.

I remember that when we were little, our parents’ friends would gather on Shrove Tuesday — we’d go sledding in the forest, and afterwards enjoy a big bowl of pea soup and cream buns at home. I honestly can’t recall if we kids were ever too excited about the soup itself. Probably the adults enjoyed it more back then…

History repeats itself, and now I’m the one who loves pea soup — much more than Uku-Robin does. He doesn’t understand at all what this strange green mush is. But I hope that one day, when he’s grown, he’ll learn to appreciate it. We’ll see. In the meantime, I’m happily enjoying my pea soup with my husband and friends.

And seriously — this soup is very easy to make! You just need to set aside a bit of time, but otherwise, it practically cooks itself.

This year, we’ve been blessed with plenty of snow, so why not enjoy a real Shrove Tuesday for once? Make your own pea soup and cream buns, and go sledding with the family. You’re guaranteed to have the coziest winter evening!

Print Recipe

Classic

Pea Soup with Smoked Pork Knuckle

Author: Paula Cooking Method: Boiling Courses: Dinner, Lunch Recipe Keys: Kids Lactose Free Sugar-free

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 8 hrs Cook Time 2 hrs Total Time 10 hrs

Servings: 12

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 kg smoked pork knuckle
• 500 g dried peas
• 3 l water
• 3 carrots
• 1 onion
• 100 g pearl barley
• salt and pepper (optional)

Preparation

1. Soak the dried peas in water for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain and place them in a pot with the pork knuckle and 3–3.5 liters of cold water. Bring to a boil and occasionally skim off the foam. Simmer for about an hour.
2. Peel and chop the carrots and onion. Add them to the soup along with the pearl barley and cook for about another hour. Remove the pork knuckle, pull the meat off the bone, chop it into pieces, and return it to the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with bread or barley bread.

3. And don’t forget — the pork knuckle bone can be turned into a spinning top (the traditional vastlavurr) for the kids! 

Note

Tip! If you have leftovers, let the soup cool, pour it into a jar, and seal it tightly. Voilà — your very own homemade jar soup!

Keywords: pea soup, soup, peas, pork knuckle