For your enjoyment a recipe I've made twice. First for the usual reason of happening to have these particular ingredients already in the house, and the second time to see if the first time was an accident.
*Pork Stew/Soup
1 tray of stewing pork
1 large white onion
1 container of **chicken broth
1 can of chopped tomatoes w/ garlic
1/2 bag of shredded carrot
1 cup of dried split peas
1/4 cup flour
salt
savory
basil
hot sauce
canola oil
Take the pork cubes and cut them in half or thirds. Chop the onion into smallish chunks. In a medium sized sauce pan heat up the oil over medium/high and add the onion, stirring until it's a little translucent. Add the pork and mix together. Mix in the can of tomatoes. Add hot sauce of your choice to taste. Mix in the savory, basil and salt also to taste. When the pork is nice and white (you don't want to overcook or sear it) add the broth (**I used chicken, but I'm sure beef or vegetable would be fine too). Take the split peas and wash them under cold water in a colander and drain, then toss them in too. Finally the shredded carrot goes in (I had bought shredded carrot to use in salads and found I preferred it in soup recipes because it cooks more quickly and still retains a little crunch of texture). Bring the mess to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. I add the flour, mixing quickly so it doesn't clump, to give the whole thing a more "stew-like" countenance. You can also coat the pork with it at the beginning if you prefer, or omit it completely if you prefer a more "soup-like" experience. Simmer for a couple of hours and there y'are.
The reason I like it is the balance of textures and flavours. The hot sauce seems to be the key to give it zing, and the split peas make it kinda old timey. I have some in tupperware just beggin' to be nuked right now.
Zing.
