Making delicious pea soup is a real art. Of course, every housewife has her own recipe, but some basic principles for creating this dish still exist. Even the choice of high-quality, smoked ribs can be an obstacle for an ignorant person.
On the streets of Rome
It is almost impossible to determine the exact belonging of a soup with peas and smoked ribs to any of the national cuisines. In the history of many countries of Europe or Asia, there are references to chowder from this bean variety.
And yet, most often such a soup can be found in stories about ancient Rome. It was then that women went to the streets of the "eternal city" almost daily, selling dense broth made of peas and meat, which was the main course in the diet of working class people.
Today, the recipe has changed significantly, and the soup with smoked meats has become more of a delicacy, because the price of quality ribs is often "bite".
Main ingredient
If you plan to buy the meat component of our dish in the store, and not cook it yourself, then you need to know by what signs you can distinguish a high-quality product from a low-quality one.
To choose good ribs, first of all, you need to pay attention to their appearance. The light shade of the product will tell you that it is made of a young animal, as well as a thin layer of fat.
Smoked ribs are often sold in vacuum packaging, which means you can touch them and take a good look. In this case, you should make sure that the meat is missing mucus or stains of a strange color. Also, after clicking, the product structure should be restored almost immediately.
And finally, the smell of ribs can also be an excellent indicator of their quality. If you feel an unpleasant, ammonia or sour aroma, then the meat is hopelessly spoiled.
So, knowing how to choose smoked, pork ribs, soup with peas will be much easier to cook.
Cooking yourself
Do not be upset if you do not have a home smokehouse, but you want to have your own ribs. There are recipes by which they are obtained no worse than in professional smokehouses. One of them includes ingredients such as:
- pork ribs - 2 kg;
- coarse salt - 0.3 kg;
- liquid smoke - 150 ml;
- fresh garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- spices to taste.
First, the ribs must be removed from the rigid membranes and rinsed. After that, they are rubbed with crushed garlic, spices, liquid smoke and sent to the refrigerator in a closed container for about a day. Upon completion of all these manipulations, it is enough to just send them to the oven for an hour and a half at a temperature of 180 ° C.
Pea picker
If it seems to you that it is very simple to choose peas for soup, then you are not quite right. This process also has its subtleties.
For example, you should evaluate the color of the purchased peas. It should be monophonic. And the grains themselves are smooth and without spots. It is imperative that there are no signs of moisture. This can lead to mold in the packaging, which is very dangerous for the human body. But the signs of starch released are quite acceptable.
Please note that germinated grains can not be eaten, which means they should not be in the purchased product.
Classic recipe
Having selected all the necessary products, you can start cooking soup with ribs and peas. If we talk about the classic recipe, then to create it you will need:
- smoked, pork ribs - 0.5 kg;
- dry peas - 0.5 kg;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- medium-sized potatoes - 3 pcs.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- fresh garlic - 2-3 cloves;
- spices and fresh herbs to taste.
This amount of products is calculated for about 3 liters of water. But before starting cooking, it is necessary to fill the peas with water for several hours. It is best to leave it soaked overnight. This will make the grains softer.
After this procedure, it is necessary to boil the ribs until cooked, which can be determined by how the meat is separated from the bone. It usually takes about an hour and a half. After that we put peas in the broth and cook for about 40 minutes.
At this time, you need to prepare vegetables. Peel and chop the onions and potatoes, and rub the carrots on a coarse grater. While the peas are boiling, the ribs from the soup need to be removed and the meat removed from them. Then all the remaining vegetables and spices are sent to the pan with it and boiled together for about half an hour.
5 minutes before cooking, add fresh herbs, turn off the heat and let the dish brew for half an hour. And finally, the fragrant, thick soup is ready to be served!
Diet option
If you are counting the number of calories entering your body, then the presence of smoked ribs in the main dish is extremely undesirable. But this should not stop you from making delicious, pea soup. To create it you need:
- chicken broth - 3 l;
- chicken ham - 200 g;
- dry peas - 250 g;
- potatoes - 3 pcs.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- several branches of fresh dill;
- spices to taste.
Chicken broth can be replaced with beef, but then the calorie content of the dish will increase slightly. It must be brought to a boil and then sent there soaked peas and diced potatoes. Within half an hour, while the vegetables are boiled, it is necessary to fry the onions and carrots, grated on a coarse grater.
Combine all the ingredients in the broth, including diced ham and spices, and then cook for another 10-15 minutes. Turning off the heat, add chopped dill and let the soup brew for about half an hour.
Such a first dish will not spoil your figure, unlike a soup with peas and smoked ribs, the recipe of which was higher, but it will certainly delight your taste buds. If you wish, you can not add ham, and it will become even easier.
Alternative to ribs
Perhaps you like to experiment in the kitchen, and soup with ribs and peas seems banal to you. In this case, you can try to change some of the components of this dish. We will tell you about one of the winning options for such a replacement. Soup with smoked ribs without peas, the recipe of which is easy to find in cookbooks, exactly applies to them. But we are talking specifically about the options of pea stew.
Bacon in combination with crispy crackers is best suited for it. In general, you will need the following products:
- dry peas - 300 g;
- fresh bacon - 250 g;
- medium-sized potatoes - 3-4 pcs.;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- carrots - 1 pc.;
- celery stalk - 2 pcs.;
- fresh dill;
- salt and pepper to taste;
- vegetable oil.
Soaked peas need to be poured with cold water and, having brought to a boil, leave to simmer over low heat. An hour later, potatoes are sent to him.
While the soup continues to cook, fry the chopped onions and bacon, after a couple of minutes add carrots and celery to them. Stew it all together under a closed lid for 10 minutes. Put the resulting fry in a pot with soup along with dill and spices. Let it boil for 5 minutes and turn off the fire.
A spoonful of sour cream perfectly complements pea soup, and you can decorate this dish with crackers made of white bread and fresh herbs.
For slow cookers
Today, many in the kitchen have many electrical assistants. Including crock-pots. With its help, you can cook an excellent soup with peas and smoked ribs, a photo of which you have already seen more than once in our article. Products will need to be prepared as follows:
- a glass of dry peas;
- smoked ribs - 200 g;
- 1 onion and carrot;
- half sweet, bell pepper;
- potatoes - 3 pcs.;
- spices and herbs to taste;
- vegetable oil.
So, for starters, you need to set the "Frying" mode on the multicooker, and add chopped onions, carrots and bell pepper into it, after lubricating the bowl with vegetable oil. Leave the vegetables for 15 minutes at a temperature of 150 ° C.
After this time, soaked peas and 2 liters of water are added to the bowl, and the mode is changed to “Soup”. After 2 hours, add potatoes, washed ribs and spices. Bay leaf and “Sunli hops” are best suited. Cook for another half hour and the first dish is ready. Serving is recommended with crackers made of white bread.
be careful
In addition to excellent taste and attractive aroma, soup with peas and smoked ribs has several not very pleasant properties. For example, it significantly increases gas formation in the intestines. After this, flatulence and discomfort in the abdomen may occur. Soaking peas reduces its effect on the intestines, but it cannot be reduced to zero.
It is also not advisable to eat this dish for those who suffer from urolithiasis. And a large amount of rich soup of smoked pork ribs with peas will not bring benefits to the body. The main thing is to carefully consider your health and then any deliciously prepared food will bring only pleasure.