Meat mains
Ham hock & pease pudding with braised carrots, parsley & mustard
Pease pudding is traditionally made using the stock in which you boiled your ham hock. The split peas swell and soak up all the flavour and goodness, and are then served alongside, much like you would mashed potato. It is not too far removed from the glorious tradition of mushy peas. It still thrives in the North-East, where you can buy slices of cold boiled bacon with a side of pease pudding from the butcher.
Cook's notes
The process of cooking ham hock takes some lengthy brining, soaking and cooking. Save yourself the faff and buy it cooked (and shredded). Check that your mustard and stock cube are gluten free - sometimes they hide things in them.
Ingredients
- 120g yellow split peas
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- oil e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 1 stock cube
- 1 bay leaf
- 400g carrots
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 25g butter
- 30g parsley
- 150g pulled ham hock
- 2 tbsp coarse grain mustard
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Boil a kettle full of water. Place the split peas in a pan, cover well with boiling water and bring to a rolling boil. Boil them vigorously for 10 minutes. While they boil, peel and roughly chop the onion and garlic clove.
-
Step 2
After 10 minutes, drain the split peas into a sieve. Give the pan a brief wipe clean. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add the onions and garlic. Fry them lightly for 5 minutes, making sure they don't colour. Add the split peas back into the pan. Tip in 600ml of water and bring to a gentle simmer.
-
Step 3
Crumble in the stock cube, add the bay leaf, stir well and simmer for 30-40 minutes until very soft. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut at interesting angles into 3cm pieces of equal thickness. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the second pan and heat until very hot.
-
Step 4
Add the carrots and fry them vigorously for 2 minutes, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar, half the butter and 200ml of water to the pan. Let it come up to a furious bubble and then clamp on the lid tightly. Cook the carrots over a medium-high heat for 20 minutes. Stir and check every so often, adding more water if drying out.
-
Step 5
While the carrots cook, wash and shake dry the parsley. Pick away the leaves and chop them finely. If the carrots cook before the peas, remove from the heat and keep to one side. When the split peas are cooked, fish out the bay leaf. Add the remaining butter to the pan.
-
Step 6
Pulse the peas with a stick blender or in a food processor until you have a coarse, porridge-thick consistency. Thin with a little hot water if needed. Alternatively you can just beat the peas with a stiff whisk or wooden spoon to bring everything together. Season well with pepper and a little more salt if needed. Put the frying pan on a high heat.
-
Step 7
Add the pulled ham hock. Fry for 3-4 minutes until heated and starting to crisp. At the same time return the carrots to a high heat to reduce any liquid and reheat the carrots. They should have a nice gloss to them.
-
Step 8
Add the chopped parsley to the carrots. Serve them with a pile of warm ham hock, a sturdy spoonful of pease pudding and a blob of mustard.