Not perhaps the most obvious recipe to offer for the holiday period but a real belly-warmer. It’s one I like to have handy in the freezer, ideal for those days when you want something comforting and a lot more satisfying than defrosting a supermarket pizza.
This one-pot is one of my autumn/winter standbys, in fact I’ve made it so often I can almost do it blindfold and with one hand tied behind my back. It was a bit of a surprise, therefore, to realise I’ve never really shared it with you properly before.
You may well have your own version of pork and beans. This is mine. I’ve given you a sort of master recipe but it comes out slightly differently each time because I use whatever I have handy. Please feel free to adapt it.
Ideally it contains belly pork, chorizo, tomatoes and beans. Pork belly is perfect here because it goes all soft and lip-sticky. I use paprika if I’ve run out of chorizo and chickpeas when I don’t have beans. My personal favourite is big, fat, creamy butterbeans but haricots or borlottis work too.
It is a meat dish but it’s packed with fresh veg … onions, garlic, celery, peppers, the tomatoes and spinach or kale. If you substitute kale in the recipe below, remove the ribs, shred it fairly finely and cook for a bit longer.
It benefits from being made a day in advance although that’s not essential. I made a double batch so I could freeze some – halve the quantities if you prefer. Don’t add the spinach, though, until just before serving.
Happy Christmas, Hannukah, Solstice or whatever you are celebrating. Thanks for visiting … see you in the New Year and let’s hope 2021 is an improvement on the annus horribilis that was 2020.
Pork, Beans and Chorizo
Ingredients:
150g spicy chorizo, cut into rings
700g belly pork slices, cut into bite-sized chunks
Oil
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery, de-stringed and chopped
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 peppers, a mix of colours if possible, stalks, seeds and ribs removed, cut into large dice
2 tins of tomatoes, chopped + half a tin of water
Salt and pepper
2 tins of butterbeans (see intro)
200g spinach, washed and dried
Optionally: chopped fresh coriander to garnish
Method:
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Put a large deep frying pan or casserole, one which has a lid, on a medium heat. Dry fry the chorizo until the oil runs. Scoop onto a plate. Add a little more oil if necessary and brown the pork in batches. Set aside with the chorizo.
Now fry the onions and celery, sprinkled with a little salt, until soft and golden. Again, add more oil if necessary. Throw in the garlic and peppers and cook until the peppers are just beginning to soften at the edges, stirring occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn.
Put the pork and chorizo back in the pan, along with any meat juices, add the tomatoes and half a tin of water. Add the drained beans and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, put on a lid and cook in the pre-heated oven for around an hour. If you prefer, cook on the hob with the lid on at a gentle simmer. The pork should be meltingly tender, so if it isn’t, give it a little longer.
Once the pork is done, check the seasoning and stir gently but thoroughly so the beans thicken the juices without breaking up. Put the pan on the hob on a medium heat, heap the spinach across the top and replace the lid. (If you have previously frozen the dish, defrost, obvs, and heat through thoroughly before adding the spinach.)
Cook until the spinach is just beginning to wilt, stir it in and serve straight away in deep bowls. Garnish with coriander if you like. Although this is designed as a one-pot, some crusty bread to mop up the juices doesn’t go amiss.
This is definitely my sort of winter ish, and you’ve posted it on the perfect day to make it seem a good idea. It’s ‘orrible out there.
So pleased you like the look of it, Margaret. It’s a real winter warmer. Lx
‘dish’, not ‘ish’ ….
🙂
This sounds amazing Linda! I enjoy rustic food leading up to the holidays and this sure fits the bill!
Thank you, Brenda, so glad you like it. Have a great Christmas! Lx
And to you! 🎄
This is so pretty! And chorizo is such a wonderful ingredient. Question. What is belly pork? Are you referring to actual pork belly?
Thanks, Mimi. Yes, pork belly slices. With the rind on! I get a bit confused sometimes because American cuts can be different to ours, but I think it’s the same thing. The stuff you make streaky bacon from. 😀
Yes! Fabulous. I’ve never had pork belly in a stew. Amazing.
It’s so good, cooked long and slow. Melts in the mouth.
very warming i’m sure but a bit too warm for our 30C days here in sunny queensland at present!
Haha, yes! If you celebrate Christmas, what do you like to eat on the big day?
I have a Spanish (soon to be) son-in-law and riffs on this glorious dish are a staple in his mum’s kitchen. The temperature rarely drops below 12C but lack of central heating in homes means ‘belly-warming’ meals are appreciated. I couldn’t possibly replicate his mum’s version – although with great charm, he does his best to pretend 😀. However, I do now use cooking chorizo, rather than dried chorizo ring, which results in a softer texture matching that of the belly pork. Thanks for putting this up now. It’s the perfect complement to all the ‘fancy’ food around Christmas.
Hi Sue, thanks for your kind words. I agree with your choice of cooking chorizo but it’s not always easy for people to source. I sometimes do a version with morcilla as well, which is delicious, but needs to be added whole and sliced after it’s all cooked, otherwise it disintegrates! Have a lovely Christmas, whatever you have planned this year. Lx