Ärtsoppa
Sweden's Thursday yellow pea soup, thick and savoury with thyme and marjoram, sharpened at the table with strong mustard.
Photo : Tiia Monto · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 105 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Rinse the split peas under cold water and soak them for at least 6 hours, or overnight, then drain.
- Soften the onions and carrots in the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, until tender and glossy.
- Add the peas, water and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and skim off the grey foam that rises in the first few minutes.
- Lower the heat, half-cover, and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing catches on the base.
- Stir in the thyme, marjoram and salt, then cook for a further 15 minutes; some of the peas should break down and thicken the soup on their own.
- Loosen with a little hot water if it is too stiff, then serve piping hot, letting everyone stir a dab of mustard into their own bowl.
Swedes eat ärtsoppa on Thursdays, followed by pancakes with lingonberry jam. Hold the salt back until the end: added early it keeps the skins of the peas stubbornly firm.
