Southwestern Stewed Pork and Beans

I first came across Christmas lima beans while shopping at a farmer's market in Tucson, Arizona. The Native Seeds Search was selling them along with many other beans and grains. I was drawn to their red and white color immediately and decided to bring them home to New York to cook with them. Christmas lima beans were popular in the South during the mid-19th century and have only recently resurfaced with the help of heirloom bean growers around the country. They have subsequently become one of my favorite beans. Though they can be difficult to find, I have been able to order them online and find them at specialty markets. Beet salad or marinated brassicas or beets and tangerines would make a nice starter or side to this stew.

Any variety of bean will work for this stew, such as a kidney, pinto or other lima bean.

½ lb pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 c Christmas lima beans, cooked

1 medium yellow onion, trimmed and diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced

1 large red pepper, trimmed and diced

1 small waxy potato, peeled and diced

½ c corn, fresh or frozen

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp chili powder

½ tsp ground cumin

½ c beer

2 c stock

water

salt and pepper

1. Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven, or similarly heavy pan, over medium heat. Add pork, brown each side, remove pork from pan and set aside.

2. Keeping pan over medium heat, add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Add the potato and fry until golden brown. Next, add onion, carrot, pepper and celery, sautéing until translucent. Add cumin, chili and garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add beer to the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer. Return the browned pork to the Dutch oven, add cooked beans and return ingredients to a simmer. Once simmering, add stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pork is tender, about 20 minutes. Add additional water if necessary to maintain cooking liquid.

4. Once pork is tender, remove stew from heat, add corn and water if necessary. Cover and set for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Serve warm with sour cream and cilantro or toppings of choice.

Serves 3-4

Beer Stewed Pork with Apples and Leeks

Warm pots of stewed foods seem especially fitting for fall and the combination of leeks, pork and apples only enhances the fittingness for fall. I made this dish earlier in November, before the snow arrived in Montana and picked the apples from a tree in the yard, which seemed an appropriate way to spend time while the leaves were changing. Now a blanket of snow has replaced the colorful leaves, and a pork and beer stew seems even more appealing for the colder weather. Stewed pork may be served with many different dishes including brown rice fritters and chickpea flatbread.

Any variety of tart firm apple lends itself well to the pork and beer. I used new purple potatoes again because I love their color, but other new waxy potatoes are just as good. A light to medium beer is best, as dark beer tends to mask the flavors of the other ingredients.

1 lb pork chops, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 leek, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 c apples, trimmed and quartered or halved depending on size of apple

½ red pepper, trimmed and finely diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced

2 stalks of celery, trimmed and finely diced

2 c new potatoes, quartered

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

½ c water

2 tbsp olive oil

1 12 oz beer, light or medium

salt and pepper

2 c cooked sweet brown rice

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add pork and brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove pork from pot and set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium and add 1 tbsp olive oil to pot. Add the potatoes and brown slightly, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Once potatoes have browned, add carrot, celery and apple and stir to combine.

3. Return pork to pot, add beer and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add water, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add leek and red pepper, stir to combine and continue cooking until leek is soft, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat once all vegetables are tender and stir in parsley.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm over brown rice.

Serves 3-4