Serve this with thick slices of coarse dark rye bread, and a cold bottle of Heineken! (I checked with my hubby, who spent one year in Holland, and he swears this is the real thing!)
Serving Size : 8
Prep.Time: About 45 minutes
Recipe Published in the Washington Post in the early 80's
1 pound dried Green Split Peas -- washed and sorted
1/2 pound Smoked Lean Bacon, whole
7 cups Water
1 teaspoon Salt
2 medium Onions
2 Carrots
2 Leeks
1/2 pound Celery Root, or 1 1/4 cup sliced Celery 2 Potatoes
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 pound Smoked Sausage (preferably Dutch)
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
Meanwhile, prepare vegetables and set aside. Coarsely chop onions and carrots. Wash leeks carefully and slice the white and green parts. Peel celery root (or use celery) and cut in small dice. Peel and dice the potatoes, placing into a bowl of cold water until ready to use. When peas have cooked 1 1/2 hours, they should be very soft and beginning to fall apart when stirred. Remove bacon, cut into small dice and return to the pot. Add vegetables and pepper to the pot and mix well. Increase heat until the soup comes almost to a boil again; lower heat and simmer uncovered 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the peas completely disintegrate. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if the consistency is too thick. Cut sausage into 3-inch pieces and add to the soup during the last 15 minutes of cooking to heat it through. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Stir in the Italian parsley. Ladle into deep soup bowls making sure each one receives a piece of the sausage.