Pea soup with ham hock
Description
A hearty first course. A friend's husband, a real food lover, claims that peas without meat are just a waste of ingredients. I can't fully agree with him, but I have to admit: pea soup with meat and without it are, as they say in Odessa, two entirely different things. And when you don't have the chance to cook it with broth, it's worth using ham hock—the soup turns out absolutely delicious! Rinse the peas several times until the water runs almost clear, cover with water, and place over medium heat. When it begins to boil, skim off the foam and continue cooking until the peas are half-done (they should still be slightly firm when you add the other ingredients). Peel the onion, carrots, and garlic. Cut the onion and carrots into your preferred shape, slice the garlic. Cut the ham hock into pieces. Heat a frying pan well, add oil, then place the ham hock in the pan and fry for a couple of minutes on one side, then flip to the other. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots, stir, and sauté until the vegetables turn golden. Transfer the contents of the frying pan to the pot with the peas, add salt and a bay leaf. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat until the peas are completely soft. Remove the bay leaf, season the soup with pepper and add fennel. Cover again and let it steep for 10–15 minutes. Serve the soup hot with croutons made from black bread.