Pea porridge with canned meat
Description
You can significantly reduce the cooking time by soaking the peas beforehand in cold water for 4–8 hours. Regarding canned stewed meat (tushonka), always choose it very carefully, especially meat products. Pay attention to the information provided by the manufacturer on the can: the product composition, price (cheap tushonka likely contains very little meat), and expiration date. Good tushonka doesn't just lie around on the roadside—you have to actually find it! Rinse the peas, cover with clean cold water, add a bay leaf, and set to boil. Peel the onion and carrot. Chop the onion into cubes or half-rings, whichever you prefer, and grate the carrot. Open the can of tushonka and remove the fat. Put the fat into a frying pan and melt it. Once it starts sizzling, add the onion and carrot and sauté. Then add the meat from the can and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated. Add butter to the cooked peas and mix well. You can mash them slightly, but I don't do this—the peas are soft enough as they are. Otherwise, it turns into a puree, not a porridge. Transfer the contents of the frying pan into the pot with the pea porridge and mix. Season with pepper, add salt if needed, and enjoy.