Pea Puree

Instructions

• 1
  Peel the onion, cut one half into half-moons, the other half roughly. Put the half-moons into a small saucepan, add two tablespoons of lard and let it simmer gently the whole time you are preparing the pea puree. The onion will gradually soften and eventually turn an irresistible golden brown.
• 2
  Sort through the peas and remove any impurities or foreign matter. Rinse in a colander, put into a pot, season with a small pinch of salt, pour in 500 ml of cold water, and slowly bring to a boil uncovered.
• 3
  Once the peas are gently boiling, skim off any foam with a spoon. Cover the peas and simmer very gently for 45 minutes; after 30 minutes, add the remaining salt and stir briefly.
• 4
  Halfway through cooking the peas, heat the remaining half tablespoon of lard in another small saucepan and let the roughly chopped half of the onion soften in it. When the onion is soft, sprinkle it with flour and stir for about another minute; the flour will briefly foam, then the foaming will subside. Then pour in the broth, mix thoroughly, and let it simmer almost imperceptibly for the rest of the time until the peas are cooked. Stir gently occasionally to prevent the flour from sticking. So now you have three saucepans occupied, all simmering gently, and you essentially have no work with them.
• 5
  Once the peas and thickened broth are cooked, mix both together. Add the pressed garlic, marjoram, mix thoroughly, and let it cook for another minute to reduce the pungency of the garlic. Finally, strain everything through a sieve, which is best done with a wooden spoon, the back of a spoon, or the back of a small ladle.
• 6
  Reheat the puree, as it will cool down after straining. On the plate, pour over the slowly fried onion and serve with, for example, a poached egg, bread, and a pickled gherkin.