Mute Santandereano (Colombian Hominy and Meat Soup)
Mute santandereano is the thick hominy soup of Santander, in north-central Colombia: peeled corn simmered with pork spine and trotter, potatoes, herbs and hogao until everything falls apart. It is dense enough to be a meal on its own and is the dish Santandereanos cook for New Year's Eve. Serves six.
Servings: 6
Calories: 89kcal
Ingredients
- 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 lb pork spine about 450 g; sold at Latin butchers as espinazo
- 1 ½ cups peto corn (hominy) dried or canned hominy, the same corn used for pozole
- ¾ lb pork trotter about 340 g; not optional for texture, it releases the gelatine that gives the soup body
- 6 tablespoons hogao Colombian sofrito of tomato and scallion cooked down in oil
- Fresh herbs: thyme, oregano and sage tied together with string so they come out easily
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- Fresh cilantro, chopped the leaf, not the seed
- Salt and pepper
- Water enough to cover the meats generously
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables and the meats thoroughly.
- Cook the hominy in a pot with plenty of water over high heat.
- Once the corn is tender and the grains have opened, drain it and set it aside.
- Cut the meats into pieces and cook them in water over high heat.
- Add the cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Cook until the meat is tender and coming away from the bone.
- Once the meat is ready, add the corn and let it simmer a little longer.
- Tie the thyme, oregano and sage together with string and add them to the pot along with the potatoes.
- Add the hogao, stir everything together and cook for about 25 minutes more, until the potatoes are breaking at the edges.
- Everything should be soft and the soup thick. Serve hot, with more chopped cilantro on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 89kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 326mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg