Description
Rich, hearty jamie oliver slow cooker ham and pea soup celebrates British comfort cuisine with minimal effort. Home cooks can easily prepare this nourishing dish using simple ingredients and a slow cooker for maximum flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 ham hocks (2.3 kg / 5.1 lbs)
- 1 liter (4.2 cups) organic chicken stock
- 400 g (14.1 oz) frozen peas
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pearl barley
- 2 leeks
- 1 celery stick
- 3 carrots
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- ½ bunch fresh curly parsley
- 1 heaped tbsp mint sauce
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preparation: Soak ham hocks overnight in cold water to extract excess salt, then drain and rinse thoroughly to remove residual saltiness.
- Vegetable Foundation: Chop leeks, celery, and carrots into fine pieces. Heat olive oil in a large casserole pan, sauté vegetables and bay leaves over medium heat for 15 minutes until softened without browning.
- Soup Construction: Add rinsed ham hocks, pearl barley, and chicken stock to the vegetable base. Bring to a robust boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 3 hours, periodically checking liquid levels and topping up with stock or water as needed.
- Meat Preparation: Remove ham hocks, carefully shred meat while discarding fat and bones. Return shredded meat to the simmering soup.
- Final Touches: Increase heat, add frozen peas and cook until tender. Finely chop curly parsley and mix with mint sauce. Serve steaming hot, accompanied by rustic bread and robust English mustard.
Notes
- Soak Ham Hocks: Overnight soaking removes excess salt, ensuring a perfectly balanced flavor without overwhelming saltiness.
- Vegetable Prep: Uniform, delicate dicing helps vegetables cook evenly and distribute flavors consistently throughout the soup.
- Slow Cooking Technique: Low and slow simmering for 3 hours allows ingredients to meld, creating deep, rich flavor profiles and tenderizing the meat.
- Finishing Touches: Adding peas at the end preserves their bright color and fresh taste, while herb garnish provides a vibrant, aromatic final layer to the dish.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: UK
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg