Pork Ribs with Peas (Grah s Rebra)

Bulgarian pea stew with carrots and paprika, oven-braised under crisp-seared pork belly ribs — Dimitar Tonchev

• 4–5 servings
• Prep ~15 min (est.)
• Cook ~2½ h + 30 min rest
• Bulgarian

Source: Грах с ребра — Dimitar Tonchev (Facebook reel) · share link facebook.com/share

Ingredients

• 750 g–1 kg pork belly ribs (bone-in)
• 2–3 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 5–6 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4–5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2–3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1–2 tsp black pepper (plus extra for the ribs)
• 1–2 tsp ground cumin
• 80 g plain flour
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika (Bulgarian red pepper)
• 1 Tbsp dried savory (chubritsa)
• 1.25 L water
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (est. 400 g)
• 700 g green peas (frozen in the video)
• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Season the pork ribs on both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed pot well, add a little oil and sear the ribs in batches until deeply browned on all sides. Set them aside on a plate.
3. In the same pot, add the coarsely chopped onions, carrots and garlic.
4. Let the vegetables sweat until the onion softens and they pick up all the browned bits the meat left on the bottom.
5. Add the black pepper, cumin, flour and paprika and stir for about a minute, just to cook them lightly.
6. Pour in the water, stirring well so the flour dissolves without lumps.
7. Add the savory and salt to taste and let it simmer gently over low heat, stirring now and then so it doesn’t stick — est. 25–35 minutes, until the carrots are almost tender.
8. Only when the carrots are almost soft, add the canned tomatoes and simmer a little longer (est. 5 minutes).
9. Finally add the peas; as soon as the stew comes back to the boil, take the pot off the heat so the peas stay firm and bright.
10. Transfer everything to a deep baking dish and arrange the seared ribs on top.
11. Cover the dish tightly and bake at 150 °C for about 1½ hours, until the meat is very tender and coming away from the bone.
12. Take it out and let the stew rest for another 30 minutes.
13. Serve a generous portion of peas with two ribs on top.

Add the tomatoes only once the carrots are almost soft: added too early, their acidity keeps the carrots from softening.
Taking the pot off the heat as soon as the peas go in keeps them firm and green through the long bake.
Estimated (not stated in the video): prep time, the stovetop simmering time before the tomatoes and the can size. Everything else, including the oven time and temperature, is from the creator’s caption and voice-over.
Recipe by Dimitar Tonchev (Facebook, sponsored post for Lidl Bulgaria / Silvercrest). Transcribed from the video caption, voice-over and on-screen text.