How to make spicy split pea and ham soup

Warm up as the weather cools with this hearty bowl

Comfort food is memory food. It’s food that takes us back to a place or time when things felt simpler, less harried, and somehow easier. What is comfort food for one person is simply a plate of food for another – it’s ultimately as individual as our memories.

For me comfort food is soup. Soup means being sick which doesn’t sound comfortable at all. But when I was a kid being sick meant spending the day at home, tucked up in bed in my parents’ room. This didn’t happen often, not because I was immune to colds and the flu, but because my parents believed that anything less than a gaping flesh wound (bone exposed) or double pneumonia wasn’t a reason to miss school. Arm hurt? Don’t bend it. Throat hurts when you talk? Don’t talk.

But eventually, I’d get (really) sick, they’d succumb, and I’d stay home from school. Flushed with fever and body aching, I’d slip into sleep only to wake for an occasional sip of juice (probably Tang) then back to sleep. Eventually feeling groggy but better, I’d sit up and my mum would set a tray on my lap. Soup. I can’t remember what kind, only that it was warm and slipped down my throat easily.

Today, soup still means comfort – the comfort of being taken care of or taking care of others. It’s like a food security blanket. Really it’s a bit of magic, if you think about it.

Spicy split pea & ham soup

When my butcher has them, I like to pick up a ham hock and cook it. It’s lovely flaked off the bone and served with mustard, potatoes with a crisp salad on the side. Best of all, it feeds two and leaves enough left over to make soup. The ham hock broth is thick and rich – perfect for soup stock. As we say, two birds, one stone.

Serves 4

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 glove garlic, finely minced
1 large carrot, diced
400g green split peas, rinsed
1 tsp turmeric
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground cloves
200g chopped ham or ham hock
1-1  ½ l ham stock (or chicken stock or water)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and place the lid on and cook until the onion begins to soften but doesn’t brown. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute or so before adding the carrot. Keeping the lid on, cook until the carrot begins to soften – another 4-5 minutes.

Add the spices and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the split peas, ham or ham hock and the stock. The stock should fully cover the peas.

Bring to a boil and skim any scum that forms. Lower the heat, place the lid on and cook until the peas are done, about an hour. Check occasionally as the peas will absorb a lot of liquid. Top up with more stock as needed. Serve hot with chopped chives or parsley to garnish if desired.