Stewed Beans with Shredded Pork and Salsa Fresca
A few weeks back now Lara and I spent the weekend working on this shredded pork and beans recipe. We had bookmarked it (figuratively) months prior and finally got to it, phew! It wasn’t challenging, and doesn’t call for that many ingredients, but there are a fair amount of steps. But it’s super easy to split them up into different days and make the whole thing more manageable.
The description of the recipe calls this “the best beans in the world”. Inspired by traditional stewed beans from Mexico City with optional version enriched with shredded pork (which I opted for!). It all starts with a sofrito of onion, garlic, tomatoes and jalapeños added to tender and fully cooked cranberry beans (recommended instead of the traditional pinto beans as the recipe testers found that the pinto beans available in the U.S. do not cook up with the same plumpness and velvety texture as the ones they tasted in Mexico; cranberry beans were a closer approximation).
They finish the beans with a fresh tomato salsa that I’m sure is a great addition, but I didn’t get around to making. Maybe next time. I topped mine with plain yogurt (or you could use sour cream) and fresh cilantro.
There are two main recipes, one for the beans and one for the pork. The recipe for beans states that the pork is optional. And it certainly could be, but I highly recommend doing both the pork and beans. The pork recipe gives you some delicious pork broth that you can use in the beans so that’s fun, and it was super tasty!
In the end, what this recipe really seemed like was a slightly different take on what I guess you would call an American chili. It was warming and filling. Perfect to eat by the fire on a cool fall night which Lara and I opted to do at the last minute! It was lovely. And our neighbors even brought us over some carrot cake to end the night with a bang! What a lovely surprise!
Stewed Beans
From 177 Milk Street
Ingredients:
For the Beans
1 pound dried cranberry beans
kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoons lard or neutral oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, stems finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped, reserved separately
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth, pork broth (recipe follows; optional) or water
For the Sofrito
2 tablespoons lard or neutral oil
1 large white onion, chopped
kosher salt and ground black pepper
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
2 jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Directions:
To prepare the beans, in a large bowl, combine the beans with 2 quarts water and 2 tablespoons salt; stir to dissolve salt. Cover and soak the beans overnight at room temperature.
Drain the beans. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cilantro stems. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the beans and broth, then bring to a boil over medium-high. Cover, reduce to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
While the beans cook, make the sofrito. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, heat the lard until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and jalapeños and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have broken down, the liquid they released has cooked off and the mixture begins to sizzle, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When the beans are done, remove the pot from the heat and let stand uncovered for 30 minutes to allow the liquid to thicken slightly. Return the beans to a simmer over medium, stirring occasionally. Add the sofrito and shredded pork (if using). Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir in the cilantro leaves. Serve with salsa fresca on the side.
Shredded Pork
Ingredients:
2 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 jalapeño chilies, stemmed
kosher salt
Directions:
In a large pot, combine the pork, jalapeños, 1 teaspoon salt and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil over high, then reduce to low, cover and cook until a skewer inserted into the pork meets no resistance, 60 to 75 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a medium bowl; set aside to cool slightly. Meanwhile, pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer set over a large bowl and let cool.
When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces, discarding any fat and gristle. Cover both the broth and shredded meat and refrigerate until ready to use or up to 3 days.
Salsa Fresca
Ingredients:
1 pound ripe tomatoes, cored and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Directions:
In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, vinegar, oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the salsa to a serving bowl, leaving behind the liquid. Taste and season with salt.
