Dutch Split Pea Soup with Smoked Sausage
- Savory
- No rush
- Comforting
- Stovetop
- Oven
A thick, comforting split pea soup with sweet leeks, carrots and celeriac, finished with slices of smoked sausage. Hearty, savory and gently smoky.
- Total
- 88 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 68
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Sweating · Simmering
Instructions
-
Rinse the split peas under cold running water and drain them. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 cm cubes.
~5 min
Rinsing removes loose starch and dust so the soup stays clean-tasting rather than gluey.
-
Trim and slice the leeks into 1 cm rings and rinse them well. Peel the carrots and cut them into 1 cm slices. Peel the celeriac and cut it into 2 cm cubes.
~10 min
Leeks trap grit between their layers, so rinsing after slicing lets the water flush it out.
-
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 6 minutes, stirring now and then.
~6 min
Sweating the leeks gently in oil softens them and releases sweetness without browning.
Sweating Keep the heat medium and stir now and then; the leeks should glisten and soften, never brown. If they start to color, lower the heat.
-
Add the carrots, celeriac, potatoes and split peas to the pot. Pour in 1500 ml water and add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently until the peas and vegetables are tender, 45 to 55 minutes. Stir occasionally so the peas do not catch on the bottom.
~55 min
A gentle simmer softens the peas evenly, while a hard boil would scorch them and cloud the soup.
Split peas thicken a lot as they cook and again as the soup cools. If it becomes too thick, stir in a splash of hot water to loosen it to a spoonable consistency.
Simmering Hold a bare tremble, not a rolling boil, and stir the bottom occasionally. Scorched peas taste burnt and stick fast to the pot.
-
While step 4 cooks
While the soup simmers, cut the smoked sausage into 1 cm slices.
~5 min
-
Add the smoked sausage slices to the soup and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes so the smoky flavor spreads through the pot.
~10 min
Simmering the sausage in the soup releases its smoky, salty fat into the liquid, seasoning the whole pot.
Do not salt heavily at the start: the smoked sausage releases its own salt into the pot, so taste before the final seasoning.
Simmering Hold a bare tremble, not a rolling boil, and stir the bottom occasionally. Scorched peas taste burnt and stick fast to the pot.
-
Taste and season with black pepper and a little more salt if needed. Serve hot, chunky and thick, with the sausage slices visible in each bowl.
~2 min
