Pork and Potato Soup with Mustard
Tender pork ribs simmered with onions and potatoes in a light mustard water. A hearty, high-protein soup that comes together on the stovetop.
- Total
- 69 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 54
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Simmering
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Cut the côtes de porc into 3 cm pieces, separating the meat from the bone if needed. Peel and roughly chop the oignons. Peel the pommes de terre and cut into 3 cm chunks.
~15 min
-
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the côtes de porc pieces and cook until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes, working in 2 batches if the pot is crowded.
~6 min
Browning the pork in a single layer creates a deep fond through Maillard reactions, which gives the broth its savory backbone.
Brown the pork in a single layer without crowding so it develops a deep fond on the pot bottom, which gives the water its savory backbone.
Searing Pat the pork dry and leave space between pieces so they brown instead of steam; a pale, gray surface means the pan was crowded or not hot enough.
-
Add the chopped oignons to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
~5 min
Cooking onions until softened and lightly golden develops sweetness and depth that balance the sharp mustard.
-
Stir in the moutarde and cook for 30 seconds to warm it through. Pour in 1200 ml water, add the salt and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
~3 min
Briefly warming the mustard blooms its flavor, while the water and seasoning create the poaching liquid for the pork.
-
Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the pork is tender, about 25 minutes.
~25 min
A gentle simmer keeps the pork tender and juicy by avoiding the toughening that a rolling boil would cause.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally; a hard boil toughens meat and can break the potatoes apart.
-
Add the pommes de terre chunks and simmer uncovered until they are fork-tender and the water has slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
~15 min
Simmering uncovered lets the potatoes release starch, naturally thickening the broth while they become fork-tender.
Simmering Keep the liquid at a lazy bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally; a hard boil toughens meat and can break the potatoes apart.