Creamy celeriac, mustard & ham hock soup
By Cassie Best
Make the stock for this soup from the ham hock to boost the flavour – you’ll also have plenty of ham left for making sandwiches or pies later in the week
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Prep:15 mins
Cook:2 hrs 30 mins
- Serves 8
- Easy
Nutrition per serving
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kcal 304
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fat 22g
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saturates 9g
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carbs 6g
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sugars 0g
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fibre 3g
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protein 19g
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salt 1.01g
Ingredients
- 1 unsmoked ham hock or gammon knuckle, weighing roughly 1.2kg
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil , plus extra to serve
- 1 large onion , halved and sliced
- 1 eating apple (we used Braeburn), cored and cut into chunks
- 1 large celeriac , washed and cut into chunks (or peeled if very dirty)
- 100g crème fraîche , plus extra to serve
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- crusty bread , to serve
Method
Put the ham hock in a large pan with the bay leaves. Cover with water, bring to the boil and cook over a low-medium heat for 2 hrs, until the meat is very tender. Top up the pan with more water as needed while the ham cooks. Alternatively, cook the ham hock in a pressure cooker for 30 mins. Remove the ham and strain the stock into a jug. Remove and discard the rind, shred the meat and set aside until needed.
In the same pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 10 mins, then add the apple and celeriac. Taste a little of the ham stock – if it is very salty, add water to dilute it. You’ll need about 1 litre in total (freeze any that’s left over for making more soup or risotto). Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 mins or until the celeriac is very tender.
Add the crème fraîche and mustard to the soup, then blitz with a hand blender. Check and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Warm the ham hock in a pan or the microwave. Serve the soup topped with a swirl of crème fraîche and a few drops of good olive oil, and a pile of ham hock – or make a ham and cheese toastie for dunking. Leftover ham hock will keep frozen for up to two months.
