Pea Soup.

Margaret Pilkington

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My bones tell me it is time to get out the vests and the long johns......Well, it is only just a little over 6 weeks to Christmas.....and we have had a few frosty mornings. Winter is upon us.

Vests, I still haven't found one to suit me, so I am using a Tshirt that found its way into the wash with something red......the Tshirt was originally white, but it is now a blushing pink....but sort of shaded....not a uniform colour. That doesn't matter because I don't plan on letting anyone see it.
Long Johns, well they are black and thermal.
They do seem to keep my creaky knees warm, and therefore, a bit less creaky.

Just as important in keeping the cold out is fuel.....what we put inside.

On Saturday we had our usual jaunt to Bury Market.
I was passing Katsouri's just as a huge pan of pea and ham soup was brought up from their kitchen.
It looked and smelled delicious.

Himself passed a stall that sold cooked ham shanks...he asked if he should get one......and was in the queue before I could give a nod of approval(as if my approval really mattered).

The hot ham shank was put into a foil bag, but its aroma tormented us all the way home on the bus.
When we arrived home, it was still warm. Himself sliced some thick, juicy chunks off it and put them on a fresh barm cake......he made a mug of strong tea, and sat there in the chair with a satisfied smirk on his face.

When I had gone to bed Saturday night there was still a good chunk of meat on the bone, but come Sunday morning this had shrunk quite a lot.
I decided he wasn't having it all to himself......to eat as a snack! I measured out some dried peas, a bit of barley, I sliced up a fair sized leek and a couple of carrots and tossed the lot into my biggest of pans......and plopped the rest of the ham shank in with it....a stock cube went into the pan and I filled it up with water and put it on the hob to gently simmer.

I caught himself scanning the contents of the fridge for another go at the meaty bone...I grinned and pointed to the big pan of bubbling liquid.

By Monday we had a great panful of 'stick to the ribs' pea soup.
It looked every bit as good as the stuff on sale at Katsouri's.

Himself had a bowlful for lunch on Monday...with a toasted cheese teacake....he said it wasn't very good.(HOW VERY DARE HE?)
I hadn't put any green cabbage in.
I told him it wasn't broth - it was pea and ham soup. I told him that cabbage doesn't feature in pea and ham soup.
Anyway, if it wasn't so good, why did he have another bowlful?

I have finished the dregs of the soup today for my lunch....and it was delicious, warming and filling......better than any vest or long johns.
 
The only veg that I dont eat is pea's!
I still think he deserves a clip round the earhole for saying that it wasnt very good though.............:D
 
Oh Heth, you don't know what you are missing......Pea and Ham soup is just delicious.
And while the ol' feller said it wasn't very good(meaning it wasn't what he was expecting - he was expecting broth) he still had two great steaming bowlful.......so him saying it wasn't good doesn't really compute....does it.

Tonight it was shin beef and kidney with barley.......herb dumpling and steamed carrots and cabbage.....he'll be asleep off that in half an hour:).
 
Now that sounds very nice, can I come round for some?!
If he is asleep at least you get some peace and quiet! ;)
 
i bought two broth poseys (sp?) last week, stuck them in the slow cooker with some frozen chicken stock i'd put in the freezer a month ago, left it for most of the day then wizzed it up and made a whole load of veg soup, had a bit then froze the rest,i also made a few bowls of carrot and coriander soup and froze those too,made my dad and Reece a mince and onion pie each today too, i have a feeling i've been drinking too much coffee, i can't stop cooking lol

Marg, Reece has been wearing his long johns for the few days for school, he loves them, even prances around the house in them,ibought him his first lot last year,it tickles my dad that a child of 16 would actually wear them, let alone need them, £1.99 for the vest and £1.99 for the pants,he has a few pairs
 
I took a portion of the pea soup up for Ma......she rang me tonight, doing an Oliver Twist...please can I have some more?
Alas, it is all gone...but the good news is, there is beef and kidney with barley and a dumplig for her lunch tomorrow.

Sounds like all good healthy stuff Shaz(and economical too)......well except the coriander.......ewww, don't like that at all......to me it tastes like washing up liquid...but hey if you like it.
 
Ooooo i love coriander Marg, love the smell in my kitchen when i'm cooking with it, i hope Reece doesn't read this blog, he loves pea and ham soup, he'll have me making it by the end of the week ;)
 
Me and Anne went to Bury market yesterday and she bought a ham shank and some bacon bones for the same thing marg
Anne can make a great Pea & Ham soup looking forward to it
we also bought a big piece of topside of beef 6 chicken fillets 6 lamb chops and 4 sirloin steaks for £20 the topside is 3.5 lb so good size ( in meat and fish hall) in one package
i also bought some venison (Christmas Dinner):D
Anne also bought a new winter coat.
sort of :D
while on the bus there Anne realised she had picked the wrong bag up she had picked her work bag up instead of her shopping bag hence no purse :D ya right
 
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Ooh Mick....ma has conned me in the same way.......glad you had a very productive day.
Yes....Walkinman.........it is a bit pungent afterwards......everything has a price and the price for pea and ham soup is smelly nights :D
 
they do cooked ham shanks in haslingden at the butchers at the traffic lights ... they are good ... i buy one and it does my tea for 2 days if im picking at it every time i go in the fridge or 3 days if i dont ... lol ive been making broth since september ... and its not often i manage to eat the full pan myself ... someone comes in and either nicks some or they've been in earlier seen the pan of broth and come back for tea ... lol have the nephew home from uni soon ... will have to make him a pan as well ..
 
Mick;bt9259 said:
Me and Anne went to Bury market yesterday and she bought a ham shank and some bacon bones for the same thing marg
Anne can make a great Pea & Ham soup looking forward to it
we also bought a big piece of topside of beef 6 chicken fillets 6 lamb chops and 4 sirloin steaks for £20 the topside is 3.5 lb so good size ( in meat and fish hall) in one package
i also bought some venison (Christmas Dinner):D
Anne also bought a new winter coat.
sort of :D
while on the bus there Anne realised she had picked the wrong bag up she had picked her work bag up instead of her shopping bag hence no purse :D ya right

Now come on get it right. We were at the bus stop an i told you to wait while i went back, but you said no it's ok.
you will lend me the money. pfft. MEN.
 
ANNE;bt9272 said:
Now come on get it right. We were at the bus stop an i told you to wait while i went back, but you said no it's ok.
you will lend me the money. pfft. MEN.

Now, now, Anne don't generalise not all men are like Mick, I'd have waited at the bus stop while you went back for your purse, Mick just hasn't got my patience.
:D
 
Yes Anne...Pfft...Men. They are only useful as bad examples :D
Most of the time anyway.
What's with the 'lend you the money' anyway.
I always thought that what's mine is yours and vice versa.

Less, I believe you, but there are those who wouldn't :D
 
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