Thick as Pea Soup
January 23, 2013
Over the weekend my mother-in-law M showed me how to make another Dutch favorite, Erwtensoep (better known as industrial-strength pea soup, hearty enough to get you through a cold Dutch winter). My job was to take notes, chop vegetables, and stir; hers was to create, and boy did she ever! It was amazing to watch her in action with not a recipe in sight.
She begins with a few pork chops on the bottom, followed by layer upon layer of vegetables until they reach the rim. Add water, sausage, cover, and simmer for several hours. When all is done, it’s not the prettiest soup, but it is out of this world in taste!
Tree Fishing 
LOVE the pic of you and your sweet MIL “M”! Can you tell me what were the veggies that she used and how long did it take to cook down? Looks delicious:-)
Thanks so much for checking out the blog! We had a great time cooking together! I’d be delighted to tell you about the veggies:
1 & 1/2 lbs of split green peas (“M” said using just a pound would be fine too)
3 leeks, chopped
3 – 4 celery stalks with the greens on top, chopped
1 bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
2 -3 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 potato, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
She put 3 pork chops (with bone) in the bottom of the pot and added all the chopped veggies on top of the meat, except for the potato, and poured water over the veggies up to the rim of the pot. We cooked it for about 6 hours total. After the first 3-4 hours (stirring occasionally), she added the potato to thicken it up. At that point the pork chops had cooked and broken down, so she scooped them out and put them in a colander. She held the the colander over the pot and pour water over it to wash the soup back into the pot but also expose the bone from the pork chops. She picked the bones out and put everything back in the pot and cooked for another couple of hours (stirring occasionally). She also cooked a sausage separately, chopped it up and added it at the end. I was surprised at how easy it was to make. Tasty, tasty, tasty!
OMG! That sounds so good! It never ceases to amaze me when I watch older people cook. I used to get so mad at my grandma when I’d ask her for a recipe and she’d tell me “there is no recipe. you just add a little of this and a little of that and then taste it to see if you need to add anything else!”. lol Now, I find myself cooking the same way. Most of my best dishes I couldn’t tell you EXACTLY how much of anything went into the dish. Anyway, Thanks a bunch for sharing! Hope to see more of Miss “M” in your posts!
Ellen, this is just the best. What a wonderful MIL! Amazing knowing she still does this kind of cooking. I’m jealous, but so very happy for you. Such a special family you have!