Pea soup is a Swedish classic dish, which dates to the middle ages. In the French Alps, I discovered a very similar kind of soup made with green split peas instead of the yellow peas we use in Sweden. The key flavours in this flavoursome soup are cloves, mustard, thyme and pork.

The peas are soaked for two hours, then cooked together with the other ingredients. The pork is removed at the end, sliced and served on top or on the side.

The French alpine village of Bonneval-sur-Arc at the foot of Col de L’Iseran, classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France, is a fitting reference for this rustic dish.

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

Serves: 6
Soak: 2 hours
Cook: 2 hours

500 g green split peas (or yellow)
250 – 300 g ham hock
Pork sausages (optional)
2 yellow onions
2 carrots
1.5 litres of water for cooking
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp marjoram (optional)
2 tbsp mustard plus mustard to serve
4 cloves
4 peppercorns
Salt to taste
Fresh thyme or parsley to decorate (optional)

Tips: Depending on the variety of split peas, they need different time to soak. Yellow peas, for example, are left to soak overnight.

METHOD

Rinse the green split peas and leave to soak for a minimum of two hours. For yellow split peas, leave to soak overnight.

Drain the peas and add to a pan with 1.5 litres of water. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam that develops on the surface.

Peel the carrots and the onions and stud one onion with the cloves. Add to the pan followed by the other ingredients except the pork sausages.

Lower the heat and leave to simmer steadily for an hour and a half. Add the sausage and cook for another half hour or until the peas are soft.

Remove the onions, carrots and pork from the soup. Slice the ham hock and sausages. Serve the soup with fresh thyme or parsley, mustard, and the pork presented on top or on the side.

Tips: Serve the pea soup with beer.

The traditional buildings in this region of La Vanoise have thick stone walls and slate roofs to protect against the cold, the risk of fire, and the weight of snow. 

Many of the buildings have timber cantilevering balconies originally used to dry fuel tablets made from goat or sheep droppings mixed with straw.