Erwtensoep, also called snert, is the Netherlands in a bowl: green split peas cooked slowly with pork, celeriac, leeks, carrot and potato until they collapse into a thick, savory porridge of a soup. Slices of smoked sausage go in at the end, and it is served with dark rye bread topped with smoked bacon. The traditional test of a good pot is that a spoon stands upright in it.

It is the soup of skating days and long walks on the beach, and it is better on the second day than the first, which makes it a gift to anyone hosting a race weekend. Make it on Friday, reheat it through Saturday and Sunday, and let the soup do the work while Zandvoort's banked corners do theirs.

The soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) dried green split peas
• 10 cups (2.4 liters) cold water
• 1 lb (450 g) pork spare ribs or 1 small smoked ham hock
• 2 teaspoons fine salt
• 2 medium leeks
• 1 small (about 12 oz / 340 g) celeriac
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 medium floury potatoes
• 1 (about 10 oz / 280 g) smoked rookworst
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small bunch celery leaves or flat leaf parsley

Rye bread with smoked bacon

Ingredients

• 6 slices roggebrood (dark rye bread)
• 1 tablespoon butter or mustard
• 4 oz (115 g) katenspek, thinly sliced

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