Use any root veg you can get your hands on – swede is particularly good.
1 hr 15 mins plus overnight soaking
Not Too Tricky
serves 6
About the recipe
Smoky, salty and rich, this epic winter soup will warm you up from the inside out. Heroing budget-friendly ham hock and root veg, this is all about delivering big flavour, without breaking the bank.
Ingredients
1 large higher-welfare smoked ham hock (roughly 1.2kg)
10g dried mushrooms
1 bunch of mixed woody herbs, such as bay, thyme, rosemary, flat-leaf parsley (30g)
4 sticks of celery
2 onions
2 carrots
200g potato
200g celeriac
200g turnip
200g pearl barley
400g mixed greens, such as chard, Brussels sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, kale
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon English mustard
a few slices of bread, to serve
Top Tip
You can use any leftover broth to make some pretty special risottos, soups or stews. Any leftover veggies or ham can be added to your next cheese toastie!
Method
- Place the ham hock in your largest pan and cover with cold water. Allow to soak in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, drain the ham hock and return it to the pan. Just cover with cold water, put on a high heat and bring to the boil, skimming away any scum from the surface.
- Use your hand to crush and crumble in the dried mushrooms. Tie the herbs and 2 of the celery sticks together with string and add to the pan, too. Turn the heat down to a very gentle simmer, cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours, or until the ham hock is completely tender and the bone can be removed with very little resistance.
- When the hock is cooked, remove from the broth and set aside to cool slightly, then shred up the meat, discarding any fat, skin and bone.
- Peel and roughly chop the onions, then roughly chop the carrots, the remaining celery sticks (reserving any nice yellow leaves), along with the potato, celeriac and turnips (reserving any turnip tops). Add the chopped vegetables to the hock cooking liquor with the pearl barley, place on a high heat and bring up to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the vegetables and barley are just tender.
- Meanwhile, roughly tear the leaves of your greens and the reserved celery leaves and turnip tops (if using), chopping any stalks, sprouts or stems into 2cm pieces.
- Mix the crème fraîche with the mustard and set aside.
- Add the shredded ham hock to the pan along with the chopped stalks and greens. Turn up the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes, or until the greens are cooked but still vibrant. Toast the bread, if you like.
- Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of mustard crème fraîche and toast, for dunking.
Stash the leftover soup, broth or ham in the freezer for future meals.
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