Smiddy Shank Soup

A Photo Essay

A very hearty and rustic Ham Hough Red Lentil Soup. Seriously, if they had this recipe in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, it would break the cookery system. It brings health, stamina, attack and defence boosts, while simultaneously providing resistance to heat, cold and electricity. One plate of it would fetch at least two hundred and eighty rupees. Pro tip: for an additional speed boost, replace the carrots with "swift carrots".

Preparation time: 20 minutes.
Cook time: 3 hours 15 minutes.
Serves 8.
Ingredients:

• 800g Blair Drummond Smiddy smoked ham hough (shank)
• 2 baking potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 3 celery stalks with leaves
• 6 carrots
• 250g red split lentils (well rinsed)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 stock cubes (vegetable or chicken)
• 6-8 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bouquet garni
• 2-3 bay leaves

Method:

1. To 3 litres of boiling water in a pot, add the ham, bouquet garni, peppercorns and bay.

2. Boil for 2½ hours.

3. Meanwhile, back at the vegetable station...

...peel the potatoes, onion, celery, carrots & garlic.

4. Dice the potatoes, onion, celery, and four of the carrots.

5.Crush the garlic and grate the remaining two carrots.

6. At the 2½ hour mark, remove the ham from the pot.

7. Skim the water, then add the potatoes...

...the chopped carrots...

...the celery...

...the onion...

...the grated carrots...

...the crushed garlic...

...the oregano and stock cubes...

...and finally the rinsed lentils. Simmer for 45 minutes.

8. Strip the ham off the shank and add back into the soup before serving.

9. It sticks tae yer ribs. Serve with a twist of pepper.

Acknowledgements

I am gratefully indebted to my beautiful assistant and arm model @catsjamas for her help with the visual production aspects of this project.