Cooking up a big pot of soup and freshly baked bread with lashings of organic butter is my perfect winter meal. One of my favourite soups is Pea and Ham Soup and I like to add either cooked brown rice or quinoa for a complete meal. Otherwise my go to bread is Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread – a quick and easy to prepare recipe with no proving needed. This soup does take a bit of time but is well worth the effort. It tastes better on the second day when the flavours settle and it becomes thicker which I prefer. Using both green and yellow split peas gives a lighter and sweeter flavour instead of the traditional green split peas. The ratio of green to yellow is up to you, you might like all green.

PEA AND HAM SOUP

INGREDIENTS

300 grams yellow split peas

300 grams green split peas

1 organic ham hock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium onions, diced

3 carrots, diced

bouquet garni – handful thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns

salt to taste

3 litres water

rice bran oil for frying onions

METHOD

(1) Soak the split peas overnight in a glass bowl and add water until it is 4 cm above the peas. Ensure the bowl is large enough to hold the peas as they will double in size.

(2) In a large pot add enough oil to brown onions and then add garlic and fry until garlic is cooked.

(3) Now everything goes in the pot. Split peas, carrots and ham hock. I like to cut some of the meat off the hock and place it in the pot. Add 3 litres of water and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil. Then reduce heat to medium to low and simmer stirring occasionally over 4-5 hours. The peas will soften and the ham will fall off the bone. Be sure to keep an eye on your pot as it thickens because you don’t want it to stick to the pot and burn. If needed add more water.

(4) Remove the bouquet garni and the bone. I take out any ham skin so there is just ham meat in the soup. I also like to pull apart any bits of meat so it is not so chunky.

TERESA CUTTER’S SPELT IRISH SODA BREAD

I met Teresa Cutter a few years ago at our restaurant Agape Organic soon becoming a regular with her husband. She is passionate about organics, health and fitness. As a qualified chef she knows ingredients and creates healthy recipe alternatives and they are always scrumptious! A couple of years ago she developed a range of nutritional supplements including an Organic Pea Protein Powder and Organic Superfoods which are my pantry staples. Her quality is supreme, sourcing the best ingredients available.

I came across this recipe when I had guests coming for lunch and the bread recipe I had required overnight proving. Since then I have tried it with rye flour and added olives to the recipe with delicious results! It makes a great loaf bread or pull apart rolls add a farmhouse rustic feel to the dinner table. Many thanks to ‘The Healthy Chef’ Teresa for sharing her recipe with us.

 INGREDIENTS

500 g whole meal spelt flour
½ cup (50g)  ground flaxseed (linseed) or chia seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda (bicarb soda)
2 cups milk (soy, rice, almond or seed)
1 tablespoon honey
(60 ml) ¼ cup cold pressed olive oil or macadamia nut oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 C. (160 C fan forced)
Combine flour, flaxseed, salt and soda then mix through.
Combine honey, olive oil, lemon and milk.
Pour over the dry ingredients all at once and mix through lightly with your fingers. The dough should be lovely and moist much like a scone dough.
Place dough onto a lightly floured board and form into 1 large loaf or 2 smaller round loaves.
Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Cut a small cross over the top of the bread.
Brush the top with a little extra milk then sprinkle with seeds.
Bake for 40 minutes then reduce the heat to 160 and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until cooked through and the crust is lovely and golden brown. If baking smaller loaves reduce the time to 30 – 40 minutes total.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before you eat.
Makes 24 delicate slices

NOTES:

You need to treat this bread much like a scone dough.
Don’t kneed it too much, but just lightly enough for it to combine.
Make sure all the dry ingredients are distributed evenly before adding wet.
Make sure you add the bicarb?
Let it rest for 30 minutes before baking if you overwork the dough.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn x

Teresa Cutter is a qualified chef, author, blogger and has a range of nutritional supplements. Be sure to follow her website which has great healthy and delicious recipe alternatives.

{Pea + Ham Soup + Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread}

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A perfect Autumn day, a Victoria sponge cake, a beautiful book and a garden filled with inspiring women was the perfect way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon. My lovely friend Jane Grover hosted an afternoon tea in her front yard for Michelle Crawford the lady behind the blog Hugo and Elsa. We sipped organic tea and nibbled on lots of delicious baked goodies from Michelle’s new book A Table In The Orchard. My favourites were the chocolate wheaty biscuits with a hint of saltiness and the sponge cake filled with cream and homemade apricot jam – oh my Tasmanian produce is truly heaven on earth. I can see why they packed up ten years ago leaving the hustle and bustle of urban Sydney to buy an old farmhouse in the pretty Houn Valley.

We listened to stories of how Michelle and her husband searched for their farmhouse, her love of baking and her dream of writing a book. She is warm, encouraging, humble and seriously happy with her tree change. Jane read an excerpt from her book which is delightful, entertaining and filled with the beauty and excitement of rural life. The book is full of beautiful photos all styled and shot by the author.

Styling for the afternoon was done by the creative Silvia from The Lost and Found Department she came armed with props, bunting and all sorts of prettiness. A retail shop which I have heard so much about through the whisperings of Sydney’s stylists and those in the know. Her instagram feed is such a tease with snippets of the stores offerings. I need to make a trip to this beautiful space after all it is only a 15 minute drive from my house – I really have no excuses except time and budget. A little treat is ok, right?

A big thank you to Jane who shared her home, hospitality and always lots of smiles and laughs. This lady is a superwoman. A chef, mum, author and business woman. In 2012 she self published her book Naked Food, is an advocate for eating organic produce, sustainably and knowing where are food comes from. You rock Jane! I am blessed to have such an inspirational and encouraging ‘big sister’ in my life. You have been generous with your time and sharing your faith journey with me. Jane Grover provides entertaining and educational live cooking shows to small and large audiences. Your audience will be delighted by Jane’s sense of humour and down to earth presentation style. Her cookbook is in it’s second print run so don’t miss out – you can purchase it online here with free shipping Australia wide. Filled with great photos and healthy wholesome recipes that the family will love.

So grateful to have shared the afternoon catching up with familiar faces and making new friends. A Table In The Orchard is the perfect gift for mum, your granny or anyone who loves food and has a dream. Who says that we can’t follow our dreams? Most of the time the greatest barrier to following our dreams is our own self doubt, insecurities, the unknown and change. Be brave and enjoy the adventure like the Crawford’s did. Anything is possible you just need to make a decision and keep on tracking.

Now, for a little bit of me time…..I have a good book calling my name.

In All Things Beautiful,

Lyn xx

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