Gule ærter

The story

Gule ærter means simply "yellow peas," and in Denmark the name stands for a whole meal built on dried yellow split peas, salted pork and sausage. Danish recipe writers file it among the old dishes from their grandmothers' kitchens and serve it as winter food. Everything in the pot keeps through the cold months: the peas are dried, the pork is salted, and the carrots, leeks, celery root and potatoes that go in at the end are storage vegetables.

The meal is two dishes cooked side by side. A piece of salted pork belly or pork neck simmers with thyme and leek tops until tender, and medisterpølse, a fresh pork sausage, is poached in the same pot. The peas cook down to a thick purée that is thinned with the meat broth and filled with diced vegetables. At the table the soup goes into deep plates, while the sliced pork and sausage come on a separate platter with strong mustard, dark rye bread and pickled beets, and some cooks add a splash of vinegar.

Make a full pot, since the soup is even better the next day. Cook the pork and peas a day ahead, reheat gently with a little water, and add freshly cooked vegetables just before serving.