10 years ago I arrived for the very first time in Amsterdam to study. There were no smartphones back then, I had all important addresses and a city map printed in paper to be prepared! The rain and strong wind that was taking away my 30 kilos suitcase and messing up my paper map didn’t intimidate me a single moment. Think of this pure childish excitement before summer vacation. Or even think of the being ‘in love’ state. You are excited, happy and nothing will stand in your way. This is how I felt. I was standing soaked from the rain with a wild happiness. New experiences were coming daily the one after the other. Everything was new and totally different than what I used to know. Every moment was a try out, a discovery, a lesson. It was one of the most ‘concentrated’ periods of my life when it comes to experiences. I was living the moments as a traveller though, gathering them and ready to share them with my family and friends when I was going back. But there was no going back after that. The change was catalytic. You may go back physically but mentally nothing remains the same. And this is with every human experience. Every moment you change, you move and you shine! Like an ’80s spiegelbol (disco ball), of these you will see hanging and crazily fit in the most unexpected places in Amsterdam. 🙂

the recipe

ingredients

• 1.70lt. water
• 300gr. green dry split pea
• 100gr. pork belly (thick cut bacon) in big pieces
• 100gr. pork chop in big pieces
• 2 pieces of celery
• 3 carrots in slices
• 1 large potato in cubes
• 1 onion in slices
• 1 leek in slices
• 100gr. celeriac in cubes
• 150gr. smoked sausage in slices (rookworst or metwurst or frankfurter/wiener)
• salt
• pepper

directions

• Put the water, split peas, pork belly and pork chop in a pot and boil for 45′. Take away any foam that appears.
• After this time, take the pork off the pot, clean from any bones/fat and keep the meat aside.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, celery, celeriac, onion and leek in the pot. Add salt, pepper and boil for another 30′.
• Add the sausage and boil for 15′.
• Take the sausage out and purée the soup with a stick blender.
• Add afterwards the pork meat and the sausage pieces, mix well and..

Enjoy !

Tips!

• You can serve the soup as is without making it purée.
• You can also make a version without meat. In that case use some meat stock instead of simple water in order to give more taste.