Snert (vegetarian), Dutch split pea soup

An American customer once said to its friend 'Snert is my favourite word in Dutch', whereby the 'e' was pronounced as 'u'. We are proud of our vegetarian version of this traditional Dutch soup. Here is an easy and quick recipe for all vegetarians out there, wherein the lightly fried celeriac produces the typical sweet taste of snert. The Caribbean yellow pesi – mostly described as vegetarian peas soup – has competition.

Serves 4 people

• 350 g green split peas, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 1,5 l water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ carrot, diced
• ½ celeriac, peeled, washed and diced
• ½ large leek, thin half rings
• ½ bundle leave celery, finely chopped
• ¼ lemon, juice
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

Bring the split peas with the water to a boil and add a 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt. Remove the foam completely and add the bay leaves. Cook the split peas for approx. 45 minutes until tender. Drain the peas and safe the cooking water.

Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the onion, carrot, leek, celeriac and garlic with a pinch of sea salt. Add the split peas together with the cooking water and the bay leaves. If the soup is too thick, add tap water. Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir frequently. Turn the heat low when the split peas soften and fall apart. Stir in the leave celery and season the soup with lemon juice, black pepper and sea salt.