Fall is here, so I decided to make a hearty soup. One of my favourites is pea soup, and Gwen has been asking for more vegetables, so this seemed like a good time to try it.

The main ingredient is split peas, so I picked those up first. At 22¢/100g, this is a very cheap base for a soup. They also have great macronutrients, with 25g of fibre and 25g of protein per 100g. The other key is ham hocks, another ingredient I had never used. Of course the Valumart didn't have them, so I had to make a trip to Central Fresh Market. While there, I also picked up some sliced pork belly to make baozi with.

Making the soup was very easy. I took our biggest pot, filled it ¾ full of water, and turned the heat to full. I threw in 600g of peas and a (1.6 lb) ham hock, then started scrounging through the fridge for vegetables to add. I found a large onion, the remnants of a bag of baby carrots, 4 medium carrots, a box of button mushrooms and a pork chop that was crying to be used up. All the vegetables were coarsely chopped and tossed in, along with the whole pork chop.

The whole concoction then simmered for another hour and a half. (The peas had been cooking for 20 min by this point.) I fished the pork out of the pot, chopped it up, and threw it back in. The soup was done, and Gwen and I enjoyed a very filling meal. I estimate this "recipe" is good for about 8 servings.