This delicious pea and ham soup is easy to make in the Slow Cooker. A great way to use up leftover ham and stock (from my Slow Cooker Gammon recipe)or you can make it with a small gammon joint.
450g(1 pound) boneless gammon joint unsmoked or smoked
1onion roughly chopped
1carrot roughly chopped
2bay leaves
½cinnamon stick
1tspblack peppercorns
1tspwhole cloves
480ml(2 cups) apple juice or water
300ml(1 ¼ cups) ginger ale, cider or water
900g( 2 pounds) frozen peas or petit pois
fresh mint leaves, to serve
salt and pepper to season
Instructions
Using Leftover Ham
Put the stock, ham, shallots and spring onions in your slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
Remove the ham from the slow cooker and shred using two forks.
Add the frozen peas to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the peas are cooked through.
Blend the soup using a blender or an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick then dilute it by adding some extra stock or water.
Stir most of the ham back into the blended soup, reserving some for garnishing.
Check the seasoning and serve the soup garnished with ham and mint leaves.
Using a gammon joint
Place the gammon in the slow cooker and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns. Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 4 hours on the HIGH setting.
Remove the ham from the slow cooker and shred as soon as it is cool enough to handle. Strain the cooking liquid and discard the vegetables and aromatics apart from the onion (you will use this in the soup).
Have a taste of the ham stock. If it is too salty you can use half stock and half water in your soup. Pour the ham stock back into the slow cooker. Add the reserved onion and the peas and cook on HIGH setting for 30 minutes or until the peas are cooked through.
Blend the soup using a blender or an immersion blender. If the soup is too thick then dilute it by adding some extra stock or water.
Stir in most of the ham, reserving some to garnish the soup with.
Check the seasoning and serve the soup garnished with ham and mint leaves.