Pea Soup with Pineapple
8 servings
30 minutes
Pineapple is used to decorate a pork ham terrine, and it's a fitting addition. The soup is made from fresh sweet peas, and the sourness of the pineapple suits it very well. This recipe is based on a reimagined classic combination of green peas, pork, and pineapple, which has become a gastronomic tribute to Tom Aikens.
1
Place the smoked ham in a large pot and cover it with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at 96–98 degrees, ensuring the liquid does not boil, for six hours, until the meat easily separates from the bones. Reserve 2 liters of broth for soup. Separate the meat from the skin, fat, bones, and cartilage, and shred it.
- Smoked pork ham: 800 g
- Salt: 40 g
2
Distribute the shredded meat in a dense, even layer on a baking tray lined with food film and sprinkled with salt, pour in the broth (about a third of a ladle) in which it was cooked. Cover with food film and place under pressure in the cold for at least five hours, preferably a day. Cut celery into small cubes for the soup.
- Smoked pork ham: 800 g
- Salt: 40 g
- Celery stalk: 2 pieces
3
Chop the onion.
4
Remove the hard core from the pineapple, cut the flesh into 1 cm cubes, transfer to a saucepan or skillet, add 100 ml of water, 100 ml of wine vinegar, and 50 grams of sugar, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let the pineapple cool in the vinegar mixture - the longer it marinates, the tastier it will be.
- Pineapple: 250 g
- White wine vinegar: 106 ml
- Sugar: 65 g
5
Melt the butter in a large pot. Once it boils, steam the onion and celery (about seven minutes), stirring occasionally, until soft. Pour in 2 liters of broth, add 20 grams of salt, and bring to a boil on maximum heat, then add the green peas, bring to a boil again, and cook for two minutes. Remove from heat.
- Butter: 100 g
- Onion: 120 g
- Celery stalk: 2 pieces
- Salt: 40 g
- Green peas: 2 kg
6
Immediately after removing the soup from the heat, pour it into a blender and blend at maximum speed until smooth. Strain through a sieve with ice to preserve the color. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Salt: 40 g
7
Heat 25 ml of water with 15 grams of sugar until fully dissolved. Cool down. Mix dry egg powder (which holds consistency better, but can be replaced with the white of one egg) with water, add 6 ml of wine vinegar, and blend into a strong foam. Transfer the mixture into a pastry syringe.
- Sugar: 65 g
- Egg powder: 15 g
- White wine vinegar: 106 ml
8
Cut a block about 1.5–2 cm thick from the terrine of pork ham and heat it in the microwave for forty seconds (or one and a half minutes in the oven at 200 degrees). Place it in a deep plate, and top with a few cubes of pickled pineapple. Use a pastry bag to form meringues on the plate.
- Smoked pork ham: 800 g
- Pineapple: 250 g
9
Quickly torch the meringues with a gas burner until a crust forms. Carefully pour the hot pea soup into the bowl, ensuring the liquid does not completely cover the terrine block and meringues. Garnish with fresh pea greens.
- Green peas: 2 kg