Rustic pea soup with a pig’s trotter

Name: Rustic pea soup with a pig’s trotter (Hernekeitto)
Cuisine: Finnish
Ingredients: 200 g/7 oz dried peas; 1.5 litres/2½ pints/6¼ cups water; 1 pig’s trotter, split lengthways; 200 g/7 oz smoked bacon, diced; 1 onion, chopped; 1 carrot, chopped; 1 leek, chopped; 2.5 ml/½ tsp ground allspice; 2.5 ml/½ tsp dried marjoram; 30 ml/2 tbsp Swedish, German or Dijon mustard; 30 ml/2 tbsp Swedish, German or Dijon mustard; 30 ml/2 tbsp Swedish, German or Dijon mustard; salt and ground black pepper; salt and ground black pepper

Hernekeitto

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Food and Cooking of Finland

By Anja Hill

Published 2007

About

Flavoursome and warming, this pea soup is a good defence against the cold. With a chunk of bread it makes a fine lunch. The use of a pig’s trotter demonstrates the Finn’s thriftiness, ensuring that no part of the animal goes to waste, and it also adds a richness to the finished dish.

Ingredients

200 g/7 oz dried peas
1.5 litres/2½

Europe
Finland
Main course
Gluten-free
Nordic

Method

Soak the peas overnight in plenty of cold water. The next day, rinse and put the peas in a pan with the water, pig’s trotter, bacon, onion, carrot, leek and allspice.
Bring the liquid to the boil. Skim away any foam that rises, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are tender. If the soup has thickened too much t