Inspired by chilly weather I decided, instead of pea and ham soup, to adapt this recipe by Colin Fassnidge of Four in Hand in Sydney which appeared in Gourmet Traveller magazine in 2010.
First cover a large or 2 small ham hocks with cold water and add an onion, a carrot, a celery stalk or 2, some whole peppercorns, some fresh thyme and a bay leaf. Cook until soft and falling off the bone (a pressure cooker will reduce the cooking time from 2 or 3 hours to only 30 minutes). When the ham hock is cooked remove the meat and tear or cut into small pieces, discarding the skin and bone, and set aside. Strain the stock. Dice another onion, carrot and celery stick and finely dice 2 cloves of garlic. Place them in a saucepan with 300g (10½ oz) of pearl barley and some more fresh thyme and just cover with cold water. Bring to boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the barley is cooked, adding some of the stock if necessary. Add a cup more of the stock, the ham pieces and a tablespoon of butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook until most of the stock is absorbed. Garnish with finely sliced fresh parsley and sage leaves.
michelle picker cooks 