The last of the Christmas feast

I don't buy a ham for us at Christmas time as we really would never eat it. Though I really do want to own a pig or two so perhaps ham and other porcine offerings are in my future somewhere. My parents do have a ham each year and each year when the time is right, I am given the bone to make soup. Tim and I love split pea and ham soup probably more so because it is a once a year meal. Last night we had our yearly fix. It was delicious (especially coupled with some grainy bread rolls) and the very last of the Christmas seasonal fare. It may not be a very summery meal or the most pleasing to the eye but it is worth it.

Split pea and ham soup

Ingredients

1 ham bone, trimmed

300grams green split peas

2 onions, diced

1 carrot, diced

25 grams butter

2 bay leaves

1.5 litres water

Method

Gently sweat the onions and carrots in the butter over a low/medium heat in a large pot until softened. The pot needs to be large enought o accommodate the bone.

Add the bone, water, peas and bay leaves and simmer for about 1 hour. Times may vary but simmer until the peas are soft.

Remove the bone, puree the soup and serve.

Grainy bread rolls ( for the bread maker)

Ingredients

300mL water

300 grams wholemeal flour

200 grams plain white flour

1 tbs sunflower seeds

1 tbs pumpkin seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 tsp yeast

1 tsp honey

1 tsp poppy seeds

1tsp nigella seeds

Place all of the ingredients besides the poppy seeds and nigella seeds in the bread maker. Follow the order given for your particular machine.

Set the machine to the dough setting.

When the cycle is complete, turn the dough out and knead gently by hand and then divide into 12 pieces.

Shape the pieces as desired and put onto a greased or lined baking tray.

Brush each roll with milk and press the poppy and nigella seeds on top.

Preheat oven to 200 deg C.

Allow the rolls to rise for about 30 minutes.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the rolls a golden on top and sound hollow if tapped.

As with most of our soupy meals, Tim and I enjoyed this alone while the kids had stir fry. My niece who stayed with us last night even had stir fry and rice on the rolls (yuck).

Tracy