Pea and ham soup

fishing-girl

first soak ham, you cook the ham hock in water with carrot celery onion etc then use the cooking liquid to cook the peas with.(they need to be soaked overnight) but only take about 40mins to cook with the cooking liquor

Olliebeak

I cook my shank/hock overnight in the slow cooker. While that's cooking I have some 'soup and broth mix' in soak (put to soak around 8pm).Next morning, I remove the shank, take the fat off and the meat.

Where the meat is concerned, some of it gets put to one side for sandwiches. A small amount is reserved for pea and ham soup and some gets used for what I refer to as 'shank stew'.

Shank stew consistes of some of the meat cut into cubes, potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, chopped celery, chopped outer cabbage leaves, dried mixed herbs, vegetable stock cube with some of the 'soup and broth mix' along with around half of the cooking liquid. More liquid added where necessary. That sometimes gets served with herby-dumplings.

While that's cooking, I soak some dried peas (or they can be soaked at the same time as the soup and broth mix in a separate bowl). My pea and ham soup consists, of the other half of the cooking liquid, the bones (don't forget to remove BEFORE they collapse if using a SC), remaining meat, remaining s&b mix, soaked peas (well-rinsed), dried mixed herbs, finely chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped green bits from the leeks along with vegetable stock cube.

And you've still got the shank meat for sandwiches (lovely with a bit of sweet pickle!).

Not bad for a shank! Any leftovers can be frozen for another meal - that is IF there's any left-overs!!

The shank stew can be made using bacon ribs - I used to use what our butcher called 'rib ends' which were always cheaper than the 'sheets of ribs'! But these are often saltier than shanks.

sb44

Olliebeak wrote: »

I cook my shank/hock overnight in the slow cooker. While that's cooking I have some 'soup and broth mix' in soak (put to soak around 8pm).Next morning, I remove the shank, take the fat off and the meat.

Where the meat is concerned, some of it gets put to one side for sandwiches. A small amount is reserved for pea and ham soup and some gets used for what I refer to as 'shank stew'.

Shank stew consistes of potatoes, onions, carrots, leeks, chopped celery, chopped outer cabbage leaves, dried mixed herbs, vegetable stock cube with some of the 'soup and broth mix' along with around half of the cooking liquid. That sometimes gets served with dumplings.

While that's cooking, I soak some dried peas (or they can be soaked at the same time as the soup and broth mix in a separate bowl). The pea and ham soup consists, of the bones, remaining meat, remaining s&b mix, soaked peas (well-rinsed), dried mixed herbs, finely chopped onion, grated carrot, chopped green bits from the leeks along with vegetable stock cube.

Not bad for a shank! Any leftovers can be frozen for another meal IF there's any left-overs!!

Great, thanks Ollie.

Will have to give these a go tomorrow.

sb44

One more question.

I have always cooked my gammon shank dry in the past ie just about an inch of water in there so it doesn't burn.

Do I cook it this way or do you normally add a certain amount of water to yours?

Olliebeak

I always cover my shank completely with water in the slow cooker and just let it 'do it's thing' overnight. It's not supposed to be crispy like roasted - it's gently simmered.

sb44

Olliebeak wrote: »

I always cover my shank completely with water in the slow cooker and just let it 'do it's thing' overnight. It's not supposed to be crispy like roasted - it's gently simmered.

Thanks, off to soak some peas and put the hock in the sc before I go to bed.

sb44

Olliebeak wrote: »

I always cover my shank completely with water in the slow cooker and just let it 'do it's thing' overnight. It's not supposed to be crispy like roasted - it's gently simmered.

Couldn't cover it completely with water but near enough so left to cook for 8 hours overnight.

Just fell off the bone as always this morning so has been stripped down ready to divide for different dishes.

Do you use the water that it was cooked in for anything else Ollie or bin it?

Olliebeak

nooooooooooo don't throw it away! The water that it's been cooked in is what I use for my shank stew and pea and ham soup.

Well done so far! I can almost smell it cooking from here

Olliebeak

Make sure that you don't add any more salt at all till the meal is finished and ready for serving. The water is usually salty enough.

sb44

Olliebeak wrote: »

nooooooooooo don't throw it away! The water that it's been cooked in is what I use for my shank stew and pea and ham soup.

Well done so far! I can almost smell it cooking from here

I thought you might say that but wasn't sure if it would be too greasy because of the layer of fat that covers the shank.



Best I go and put it in the fridge then.