• 1 smoked Pork hock
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) dried rosemary
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 packet (500g) dried peas, soaked overnight
• 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3-4 Bockwurst, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup (60ml) medium cream
• Sherry

FOR SERVING

• Crusty bread

Sauté the leek, onion, carrot, celery, and rosemary in olive oil in a large pot until soft.

Add the hock and garlic, and at least 3 litres of water. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours (the longer, the better). Once the meat is very tender, remove the hock and put it on a plate.

Add the peas and potatoes to the stock in the pot and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the peas are soft and falling apart.

Carefully remove the skin, bone, and any gristle from the hock. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

Return the meat to the soup and add the sausages. Season well and cook for 10 more minutes.

Stir in the Sherry just before serving.

WHY NOT…

… use 2 packets of bacon instead of a whole hock, for a quicker version.

… use Russian pork sausages if you can’t find good German ones.

… make a different version of the soup using 2kg fresh or frozen peas. Add them at the end of the cooking time. Purée with a stick blender while they’re still bright green, then return the meat to the soup mixture.

… feed more people by serving it with toasted cheese sandwiches.