Pork and Beans Pepper Soup with Wild Greens is a modern African Fusion recipe for a classic Nigerian-style pepper soup but made with pork, mixed beans and a combination of wild greens. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic African Fusion version of: Pork and Beans Pepper Soup with Wild Greens.
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Ingredients:
200g dried black-eyed beans
50g carlin peas
600g gammon joint
2 scotch bonnet chillies
2 carrots, halved lengthways and cut into half moons
2 potatoes, scrubbed and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3cm piece of ginger, grated
2 tbsp pepper soup spices
2 handfuls garlic mustard leaves, washed and shredded
1 handful dandelion leaves, chopped
handful of water mint tops, chopped
2 handfuls young ground elder leaves
a few young common hogweed leaves
500ml passata
1 beef stock cube
Method:
Separately soak the carlin peas, beans and gammon in bowls of water over night. The following day, drain the beans then set in a large pan, bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. At this point add the carlin peas and continue cooking for about an hour, or until the beans and peas are tender.
Drain the gammon and roast in an oven pre-heated to 180C for 40 minutes, turning over half way through. This will colour the meat and give it more flavour.
In the meantime, wash the ground elder and common hogweed greens. Set in a pan with a little salted water then bring to a simmer and cook until fully wilted. Drain the greens, set aside until cooled then wring out any excess liquid and chop finely.
To assemble the dish, heat a little oil in a large pan or heat-proof casserole and use to fry the onion for about 5 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies and fry for 2 minutes more. Next add the pepper soup spices and stir to combine.
Now add in the beans and their cooking liquid, the passata and pepper soup spices. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes before adding the carrots, potatoes and pork.
Return to a simmer and stir in the greens then continue cooking for 20 minutes. At this point adjust the seasonings to taste, crumble in the stock cube and adjust the liquid levels.
Cover and cook at a brisk simmer for 40 minutes, until the meat is fully tender. At the end of cooking you should be able to shred it easily with forks.
Shred the meat into the other pepper soup ingredients and serve on a bed of rice.
