Ham hock, garden pea and pearl barley salad

Frightful weather this weekend what? Perfect excuse to migrate into the kitchen for the afternoon, with a basket of fresh peas from the garden and a pork knuckle. Food assistant credit to Amélie, who helped with shelling of peas.

1 Ham hock

Stock ingredients (1 Onion, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery sticks, 1 Bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, a few Peppercorns and a pinch of Sea salt)

100g Chorizo, chopped

175g Pearl Barley

150g Garden peas, blanched for a few minutes in boiling water

1 Red onion, sliced

A bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

6Tbsp Olive oil

3Tbsp White wine vinegar

1Tsp Dijon mustard

2 Cloves garlic, crushed

Mint leaves

Pea shoots

Salt and pepper

1 First cook the ham. Place the hock in a large pan and just-cover with cold water. Roughly chop the stock veg, then add to the pot with seasoning, bay and thyme. Bring water to a simmer and leave on the hob for 3 hours, turning the meat intermittently. Let the hock cool on a board for 10 minutes, before shredding the meat off the bone with a pair of forks.

2 While the barley’s cooking (approximately 15 minutes in boiling water), fry the chorizo in a pan until crispy, then cool on kitchen paper.

3 Mix the ham, chorizo, peas, cooled barley, red onion, spring onions and some seasoning together in a large salad bowl. Stir in chopped mint and pea shoots.

4 Shake the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and mustard together in an old jam jar. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, then stir into the salad (just prior to serving, as the dressing soaks into the barley pretty sharpish).