HAM HOCK, LEEK, PUMPKIN AND CABBAGE SOUP
Easy on the blood sugars-and very delicious.
- 50 g butter
- 1 smoked ham hock
- ½ onion, chopped
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ⅓ leek (green part), washed and chopped
- 1 cup raw pumpkin, diced
- ¼ medium cabbage, chopped
- 1 – 2 chicken stock cubes
- juice of half a lemon
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 125 ml cream
Put the rinsed ham hock into a pressure cooker, and cover with hot water (about 2.5 litres).
Pressure cook for 1 hour until the meat is cooked and falls off the bone.
Strain the liquid and keep aside.
Remove the fat and skin from the meat and cut into pieces.
Pour the reserved liquid and meat back into the pressure cooker.
In a separate pan, melt the butter and gently fry the onion and leek until softened.
Add the pumpkin and celery seed and fry about 8 more minutes.
Pour the onion mixture into the pressure cooker together with the cabbage and crumbled stock cubes (the amount you use depends on the saltiness of your stock).
Pressure cook another 20 minutes.
Release the pressure manually, stir through the lemon juice and parsley and blend with a stick blender.
Stir through the cream, adjust the seasoning to your taste and serve.
Recipe and photo: Ilze Jacobs
