Method

Sweat the onions in the butter in a very large, covered saucepan over a gentle heat until very lightly coloured. Add the leeks and allow to sweat until softened. Add the carrots and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the celery, parsley, dried peas and smoked pork.

Cover the contents of the saucepan with chicken stock, adding more water if necessary. Add nutmeg, bay leaves, lemon rind and black and white pepper.

Allow to simmer, covered for about 4 hours, stirring from time to time and adding more water if necessary. Cooking time will depend on how long it takes for the meat to fall off the bone.

When the meat is tender, remove the bone, skin and fatty layer from the eisbein and discard. If using smoked pork ribs, remove the bones and any excess fat and discard. Return the meat in chunks to the soup and continue cooking over a gentle heat until the chunks have broken down slightly. Add lemon juice and season to taste.

To Serve

A hearty soup like this is always great served with rustic country bread. To add the texture you can add optional crunchy croutons and fried pork rashers.

If serving rashers, cook in a frying pan over medium heat until golden and caramelised (for extra yum factor add a squeeze of honey to the frying pan during the cooking process). Slice and serve as a garnish.