Green Pea Soup with Smoked Ham and Creme Fraiche Dumplings

Ingredients

1/2 bunch of celery chopped
1 onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2L of beef or chicken stock
1 x 500g packet of dried green split peas
1 bay leaf
1kg frozen green peas
1 large meaty smoked ham hock
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbs butter
2 Tbs olive oil

Creme Fraiche Dumplings:

100g melted butter
100g creme fraiche
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 bunch of chives
Salt and pepper
1L of chicken stock to cook the dumplings

Method

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.

Creme Fraiche 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.

Add the meat and dumplings to the soup or serve on top separately.

Credits: Tania Cusack, My Kitchen Stories