This Split Pea Soup with Pork Ribs recipe is part of my collaboration as brand ambassador of the National Pork Board’s “Pork Es Sabor” to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you for reading and supporting the brands that make this blog possible.
Going through my memory to make a recipe with pork ribs, but not the barbecue we eat here in the US, but as my grandmother would have done in Caracas, this Split Pea Soup came to my mind.
You will ask me if I am nostalgic lately and I will tell you that cooking helps to comfort me. Not only because I have adopted many of the culinary traditions of this country, which welcomed my children and me with open arms. But also because I can recreate the flavors of my childhood without much effort, following recipes from my mom and grandmother.
It is precisely what this succulent Split Pea Soup with Pork Ribs recipe is about, celebrating my Hispanic and Venezuelan heritage, and the seasoning of my grandma Ligia. She was an amazing cook.
This soup is perfect for when the temperatures start to drop —in other latitudes, of course, because here in Miami, we will have warm weather forever. It is made with pork ribs (I used spare ribs and asked my butcher to cut them into chunks) and seasoned with the proper sofrito from the Caracas cuisine, that is: with garlic, onion and red bell pepper.
You can not imagine how happy I am with the result and how much I thank the National Pork Board, which brings together pork producers across the US, for inviting me to celebrate the culinary traditions of my home country with this soup. After all, we are Hispanic, and pork is the common denominator of our Latin American cuisine.
When I was cooking the ribs, in a hot pan with just a few drops of olive oil, the aroma transported me to those trips to El Junquito, on the outskirts of Caracas. My dad used to take us there to ride horses. We invariably ate cachapas de maíz with queso de mano, crispy pork cracklings, made in those giant cauldrons that emanated an aroma that was the closest thing to glory, and to top it all off we had some golfeados to be eaten with queso de mano too.
It’s amazing how the aroma of the pork ribs, cooking without any condiment, brought back those wonderful memories. That is the magic of pork. It’s so tasty that you don’t have to add many ingredients to create a flavorful meal. I think that, and the fact pork is a very accessible protein, make pork the favorite for us who have the privilege of celebrating our Hispanic heritage in the US.
Now I go with my recipe, but before I ask you to please subscribe to my YouTube channel and don’t forget to visit my Amazon store. I also want to invite you to visit www.PorkEsSabor.com for more pork-based recipes and join the conversation on social networks, using the hashtag #PorkEsSabor.
Split Pea Soup with Pork Ribs Recipe
Split Pea Soup with Pork Ribs
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds pork ribs, without the membrane that covers the part of the bones, cut into chunks
- 1½ tablespoons of olive oil
- ¾ cup of chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup red bell pepper, liquefied
- 1 pound split peas, rinsed and drained
- 8 cups of water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ cups of potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes
- 2 ½ teaspoons of salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat ½ teaspoon of olive oil and add the pork ribs. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn the pork ribs and cook for 5 more minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and reserve.
- In a pot over medium heat, heat the rest of the olive oil and add the onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes until wilting.
- Add the peas and stir.
- Add the pork ribs and stir.
- Add water and bay leaves.
- Bring to boil and remove the foam that is formed on the surface.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook covered for 20 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
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