Melbourne

Delighted to. P & H soup is a staple for me. When the freezer runs dry I whomp up another batch. I vary it according to what I have in the fridge, but this is the basics.

1 250g packet of split peas (any colour) green is traditional but yellow is just as nice. Red lentils - see method below. This is a good way to use up any part packets you have in the pantry as mixing more than one sort is really really nice. 1 large carrot, topped and tailed and chopped into chunks - I don't bother peeling these. The big winter maincrop carrots are the best. The tiny dutch carrots are nothing like as good. This adds a subtle sweetness to the soup. 1 brown onion - skinned, topped and tailed but left whole, with 2 cloves stuck into the cut end. About 1/2 bunch of celery stems - chopped into chunks plus please include the celery leaves if any. 1-2 bay leaves - these are essential About 6 peeled cloves of garlic - use more if you like it I large chopped potato - I don't bother to peel this but you could if you wanted to. It helps thicken the soup. 1 ham hock - Aldi sell these in plastic wrap that looks and feels like fingernail clippings, as do colesworth and most butchers. You want the smoked kind. Size is irrelevant.

Optional - 1 star anise, 2-3 cardamom pods, 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds. Pick one of these but NOT all of them.

Method. Rinse the peas well in cold water and soak in cold water for at least one hour or overnight if possible. Doesn't have to be in the fridge unless the weather is hot. They will swell a LOT, so you may need to top up the water from time to time. Don't soak red lentils - just rinse them just before filling the pot. Remove ham hock from plastic, identify the meaty side and cut two deep slashes across the meatiest bit.
In a slow cooker or large stock pot, put in the carrot chunks, the celery chunks and leaves, the onion and then the ham hock. Add in the soaked peas/rinsed lentils (drained) the bay leaves, the garlic and other flavorings. Gently pour in COLD water to cover the whole by about 1 cm. It's important that everything is covered with the water.

IMPORTANT - DO NOT ADD SALT! If you do, the peas will NEVER cook properly but will remain hard and bulletlike for ever.

Start the pot cooking on very low heat - it should take at least an hour to start to bubble. Skim off any white foam. Let the pot cook at a very gentle simmer for several hours. A slow cooker on high will take at least 3-4 hours. A stock pot on the stove nearly that long. It's done when you fish out a few peas from the mix and can easily squash them between two fingers. But you can cook it longer if you like and it's all the better for it.

Once cooked, fish out the ham hock (which will be on the point of disintegrating into its component parts), fish out the bay leaves and the star anise if using and discard them. Let the pot cool down a bit then use a stick blender to make the remaining pot contents as finely blended as you like. I like a bit of texture, but silky smooth also works. At this point you can salt it to taste if you think it needs it.
Let the ham hock cool down a bit, then strip off the skin and separate out the bones and gristle. Keep the meaty bits - shred or chop these and stir back into the soup. The bones skin and gristle can be recooked with more water to make ham stock if you can be bothered. Otherwise discard them. At this point you can freeze portions of soup, or even better let the pot rest in the fridge overnight for even more flavor. You know you've made a good batch when you take the pot out of the fridge and hold it up so the surface is vertical and it doesn't even wobble.
Then just scoop out portions to heat up in the microwave and serve. I like to serve it with crusty bread and maybe a splash of tabasco sauce over the top of the bowl. Meal fit for a king that.

Quantities above will make about 8-10 serves. You can add more water for more serves or larger ones once cooked if you want. It's not possible to make a small batch of P & H soup. But it does freeze very very well.