As summer winds down, it’s time to celebrate that most ubiquitous vegetable of the season: corn. This tasty grain/vegetable is rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, phenolic acids, and anthocyanins that benefit human health. While consumption of processed corn products like high-fructose corn syrup has been linked to increased risk of various cancers, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, consumption of whole corn and other grains and vegetables are believed to do quite the opposite.
This week’s recipe for Elmer’s Stewed Pork Ribs with Chunks of Corn is a spicy send off to summer. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She has been sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Simple ingredients prepared in a simple way—that’s the best way to take your everyday cooking to a higher level.”
—Jose Andres
Elmer's Stewed Pork Ribs with Chunks of Corn
Elmer’s Stewed Pork Ribs with Chunks of Corn
Big Flavors of the Hot Sun, Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby (1994)
Ingredients
- 4 pounds country-style pork ribs (country-style ribs are actually cut from the blade end of the pork loin close to the shoulder. They are marbled and have great flavor. You can use boneless rather than bone-in ribs if you want to make the soup easier to eat)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup virgin olive oil
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 Tbsp ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh red or green chile pepper of your choice (jalapeño peppers work fine)
- 3 green plantains, peeled and each cut into 5 pieces (bananas and plantains are both originally from Southeast Asia, although they are now grown all over the world. Plantains are usually larger and tougher than bananas, with much thicker skin. They may have green, yellow, or very dark brown peel. Plantains are starchy, tough, and not very sweet, so they require cooking before eating)
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks the same size as plantains (sweet potatoes are sweet, yellow to deep orange-fleshed root vegetables with smooth skin. Confusingly, they are sometimes called yams [e.g., candied yams at Thanksgiving]. A true yam is a dry, starchy, white-fleshed root that has dark scaly skin; it is very low in β-carotene)
- 3 quarts chicken, pork, or beef stock
- 5 ears corn, husked, desilked, and each cut into 5 pieces
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 limes, quartered
Instructions
- Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper. In the largest soup pot that you have, heat the oil over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the ribs in batches so that they cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer without touching, and brown well, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Continue until all the ribs are browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions, and sauté until just translucent, 5–7 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and chile pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the browned ribs and all the remaining ingredients except the corn, cilantro, and limes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Add the corn and continue to cook an additional ½ to 1 hour, or until the pork ribs are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the cilantro, and serve with limes for squeezing.
Notes
Elmer is (or was) the day chef at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, MA, which is partially owned by Chris Schlesinger. This recipe is a variation of sopa del rey (soup of the king) from El Salvador. It is hearty and tasty, but admittedly a bit messy to eat because of the bones and corn cobs.