Pea soup has a very rich history. Back in the middle of the first century BC, hot pea soup was sold on the streets of Athens. This mention says a lot. This means that even then he enjoyed great popular fame and was loved.
He is no less loved now. And it should be noted that he is loved and popular with absolutely all peoples and nationalities. Probably there is not a single country in the world where it would not be prepared. Although to this day it is not known for certain where they first began to cook it.
Each country has its own traditional recipes for preparing pea first courses. So in the East they prepare it from chickpea, which is called in some countries, chorba - in others - in others. Their distinctive feature is that they are made from lamb and turn out to be very thick and satisfying.
In Italy, pea is prepared by adding white wine and parmesan cheese. The soup turns out to be quite spicy and very tender. In France, they are very popular in grated form and look like mashed potatoes. Pea options are no exception. In Germany, they cook them with their famous smoked sausages and bacon. In the Scandinavian countries, they love to cook it with smoked meats. But in Western Ukraine, chopped garlic is added at the end of cooking.
In Russia, the classic version of pea soup is made from pork or beef ribs, chicken, and, of course, with the addition of peas, onions, potatoes and carrots. They also like to cook it with smoked meats. Smoked ribs, smoked shank, brisket, loin, bacon are used as smoked meats - that is, almost everything that is smoked and sold in the store.
There are also known recipes that use smoked chicken, smoked sausage and smoked sausages. That is, there are so many recipes now that you can cook from what is at hand. Don't be afraid to fantasize and try. Indeed, in any pea soup there are two delicious components - peas and meat.
What else do you need in order to prepare a delicious healthy dish? That's right, the first is desire, you can't go without it ... The second is the necessary products, and the third is the basic knowledge of cooking. And if the first and second already exist, then we will quickly figure it out with the third.
Pea soup with smoked ribs and beef
We need:
- meat on the bone (or ribs) - 400 gr. (preferably beef or lamb)
- smoked pork ribs - 200-250 gr.
- smoked brisket - 150 gr.
- peas - 250 gr.
- onion - 1 pc.
- potatoes - 2-3 pcs.
- carrots - 1 pc.
- butter - 1 tablespoon
- vegetable oil -2-3 tbsp. spoons + 4 tbsp. spoons (for croutons)
- parsley, green onions
- sugar -0.5-1 tsp
- salt, pepper - to taste
- red capsicum
- Bay leaf
- spices - paprika, coriander, saffron or turmeric, cumin
Preparation:
1. Put the washed meat in a saucepan, cover with water so that the meat is slightly covered. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam. When it boils, let it boil for 2 minutes, remove the meat with a fork and pour out the water.
2. Rinse the pan, pour 2.5-3 liters of boiled water into it, and put the meat in it again. Bring to a boil, skimming off the foam, there will be very little of it. When all the foam has been removed, cover with a lid so that the steam can escape freely.
Reduce heat to low and cook meat until almost cooked. You can check in this way, when pierced with a knife, the meat is already soft, but it still adheres to the bone. This will take about 1-1.5 hours, depending on the hardness of the meat. , You can read a dedicated article.
3. Peel the onion and cut into small cubes. Then fry in vegetable oil until golden brown, pour half a glass of hot water, and steam the onion, it should become completely transparent.
4. When there is no water left in the pan with onions, add butter, carrots grated for Korean carrots and sugar to it.
5. Simmer over low heat until the carrots are soft. Add spices. Then turn off the gas and cover the pan with a lid.
6. When the meat is almost ready, add the peas. Expect it to cook for about 40 minutes. There are several opinions, is it necessary to soak peas before cooking? There are as many arguments as there are opinions.
I soak because I believe that when soaking it reveals its taste and, most importantly, aroma even better. In addition, it cooks faster, and, in my opinion, retains more nutrients. There are peas that take only 30 minutes to cook. This must be taken into account. The recipe uses an average cooking time of 40 minutes.
7. Skim off the foam from the peas and add the chopped smoked ribs. Remove the meat that has been cooked, remove the bones, cut and send back to the pan. And also put a slice of red hot pepper if you like it sharper. And don't forget about the spices, they will add extra aroma and piquant taste.
8. After another 15 minutes, add chopped potatoes and sautéed onions and carrots to the saucepan.
And also brisket cut into strips.
When it boils, salt to taste. You don't need to salt before, before the end of cooking.
9. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add bay leaves and black ground pepper.
10. When done, remove from heat. Cover tightly, cover with a towel, and leave for 20-30 minutes. During this time, the soup should be infused and rest.
It is usually served with garlic croutons. I want to tell you how to cook them.
How to cook garlic croutons, recipe with photo
We need:
- white loaf - 0.5 pcs
- garlic - 3 cloves
- oil - 3 tbsp. spoons
- salt - a pinch
Preparation:
1. Before cooking croutons, you need to make garlic oil in advance. To do this, chop the garlic. To do this, you can use a press, or you can simply cut it into small pieces with a knife.
2. Place the chopped garlic in oil, lightly salt and pepper as desired. Mix everything and let it stand for 30-40 minutes.
3. Cut fresh wheat bread or loaf into cubes. Determine the size of the cubes yourself. The smaller the cubes, the more aesthetically pleasing the dish will look when served. Put it in a bowl, sprinkling all the pieces of bread with garlic oil evenly. Mix.
4. Then put the bread on a baking sheet and put in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. During cooking, the croutons will need to be stirred several times so that they are fried evenly.
5. When the croutons are browned, and this will happen quickly enough, after about 7-10 minutes, take them out and put them in a cup. The croutons will cool and be flavorful and crispy.
How to serve croutons soup
Pour the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley on top and lay out the croutons. Eat immediately, until the croutons are tender. It will be very pleasant to crunch them!
The smell of smoked meats excites the imagination. It has such power that it can be felt even on the street.
The taste is simple - a complete delight! At the table, only the knocking of spoons on plates is heard. For the first few minutes, no one even speaks. But now, having tasted, and after satisfying the hunger a little, words of admiration are heard.
Everyone, young and old, liked the pea soup with smoked meats. And everyone, without exception, asked for a supplement. And this is something, yes it means.
The next morning, the granddaughter just woke up and immediately asks if there will be soup for breakfast ?! And this despite the fact that you never get enough breakfast. And here for breakfast! I did not dare to refuse her, let her eat!
- as mentioned above, as smoked meats you can choose any available in the refrigerator - ribs, sausages, sausages, etc. If you buy in a store, you can also buy whatever you want. This is not fundamental.
What am I guided by when choosing smoked meats. The first is the freshness of the product, and the second is the pronounced smoked smell.
- There is a slight difference in the cooking process itself, when you use different products.
We put smoked ribs in the soup 30 minutes before cooking. Since they are on the bone, they need more time to cook.
If you use smoked brisket, bacon, sausages, then they should be cut into strips and fried with carrots. And you don't need to fry if you don't like too fatty foods. And you can add them 15 minutes before cooking, along with onions and carrots.
- sometimes the broth is cooked only on smoked ribs, without using fresh meat. In this case, it turns out to be not so rich. Therefore, you can use two onions and more oil to cook it.
- to soak peas or not? There is a different opinion on this matter, with the same different argumentation. I wrote about this in the article, but I will repeat it again.
I soak, because I believe that when soaking, peas additionally reveal their taste and, most importantly, aroma. In addition, it cooks faster, and, in my opinion, retains more nutrients. There are pea varieties that take only 30 minutes to cook. This must be taken into account. The recipe uses an average boiling time of 40 minutes for peas.
- lovers of separate food do not put in soups using legumes, including peas - potatoes. I cook them without potatoes for my son, they are as delicious as with potatoes. Therefore, adding potatoes or not is everyone's personal business.
- Bulgarian pepper gives an excellent taste and aroma. But in the soup with smoked meat, I do not add bell peppers. It seems to me that there are already enough tastes and aromas here. But in the classic version - I must add it.
- sometimes I cook it according to the principle of the Uzbek shurpa, I chop all the vegetables coarsely, and I don’t fry the onion, but put the whole head. And when it's ready, I take out the onion and throw it away. In this version, it is less fatty, it is prepared without adding any extra oil at all. In this case, when the meat is almost ready and I add peas to the meat, then I also add coarsely chopped vegetables. I also advise you to cook, I'm sure you will like it!
- at the end of cooking, wrap the pea soup well in a towel and leave for 30-60 minutes. During this time, he still seems to continue to prepare. All ingredients continue to exchange juices and flavors, it languishes and infuses, and becomes much tastier.
That's the whole recipe, with all the subtleties and nuances. Cook deliciously, and do not forget that the key to any tasty dish is your good mood, desire to cook and a piece of your soul!
Bon Appetit!
