Pea and vegetable stew Fiefhusen style

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 500 g peas, dried green
• 250 g peas, frozen green
• ¼ celeriac, medium-finely diced
• 4 carrots, medium-finely diced
• 1 stalk(s) leek, cut into medium-thin slices
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, waxy, diced
• 2 medium-sized onions, cut into large cubes
• 3 tbsp clarified butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, fresh, finely sliced
• some fresh ginger, finely diced
• 1 bunch parsley, flat, with stems, medium-finely chopped
• 1 sprig(s) lovage, very roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves, dried (or even better fresh, if available)
• ½ tsp cumin, whole
• n. B. Chicken broth (at least 1.5 liters)
• n. B. salt and pepper, freshly ground
• 4 slice(s) smoked streaky pork belly, whole
• 8 sausages, Mettenden (also called cooked sausage or cabbage sausage)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 15 hours

The “slightly different” pea stew from Schleswig-Holstein

Place the dried peas in a wide pot and fill with water until the water level is about three centimeters above the peas. Let them soak overnight for at least 12 hours. The next day, add more water if necessary, so that the peas are completely covered. Now add the lovage, bay leaves, ginger, and cumin and bring everything to a boil briefly. Then simmer covered over low heat for about an hour. In the meantime, clean the vegetables (celery, carrot, leek, potato, and onion) and prepare them according to the ingredients list. Heat the clarified butter in a pan until very hot. First, briefly sauté the garlic slices until translucent, then add the vegetables and sprinkle with sugar. Sauté vigorously and let the sugar caramelize slightly. Once the vegetables are browned and roasted, deglaze with a little chicken stock and add to the pot with the peas, stirring thoroughly. Add two slices of bacon to the pot and fill with broth until the liquid is just barely covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for another 90 minutes over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally. At the end of the cooking time, remove the bacon, cut it into small cubes, and return it to the soup. Now add the cooked sausages/mettenden and the frozen green peas to the soup and let them warm over very low heat for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. It’s important to add salt at the end, as the cooked sausages will also release salt into the soup, and the chicken broth also has some added salt. Cut the remaining bacon into large cubes and fry in a pan until crispy. Drain the fat on a piece of kitchen paper. Serve the soup with one cooked sausage on each warmed plate, sprinkle with some fried bacon cubes, and garnish with parsley.