Melting spiced pork and bean stew
A quick cabbage pickle and smoked chilli sweet potato make flavoursome accompaniments to this spiced pork and bean stew.
Ingredients
For the spiced pork stew
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500g/1lb 2oz pork shoulder, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground fennel
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground allspice (or alternatively use cinnamon)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp molasses (or dark brown sugar)
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 400g tin black beans, drained
- salt, to taste
For the smoked chilli sweet potato
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 2 large knobs of butter
- 1–2 heaped tbsp chipotle paste, to taste
For the 'pickly' shredded cabbage
- ¼ red cabbage, shredded
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ bunch coriander
- 1 tbsp drained capers, chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp pickled jalapeno chillies, finely chopped, plus 4 tbsp of the pickling juice
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 heaped tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 heaped tbsp dry roasted peanuts, finely chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To garnish (optional)
Method
To make the stew, in a large, lidded, oven-proof casserole dish, heat the oil on a medium–high heat, then add the pork to the pan and brown it all over. Remove the pork from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onion to the pan and cook until softened, then add the garlic and all the dried spices and herbs and stir until aromatic.
Tip the browned pork, softened onion, garlic and spice mixture and the remaining ingredients (except for the black beans) into a slow cooker. Add salt, to taste.
Cook on low for 6–8 hours (or high for 5–6 hours), adding the drained beans in the final hour. (Alternatively you can cook in an oven pre-heated to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 for 1–3 hours or so, or until the pork is falling apart.)
To make the smoked chilli sweet potato, preheat the oven to 210C/190C Fam/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Poke holes in the sweet potatos with a fork and then place them on the tray. Roast for 40–50 minutes, or until you can easily pierce them with fork.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Scoop the cooked flesh out of the sweet potato jackets. Press the potato through a potato ricer to make an extra creamy mash. Tip into a pan and heat over low heat on the hob, stir in the butter and the chipotle paste until creamy. Season with salt to taste. Keep warm.
To make the 'pickly' shredded cabbage, mix together all the ingredients for the cabbage, except the mayonnaise and peanuts. Season to taste and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Stir through the mayonnaise and peanuts just before serving.
Serve the pork on a bed of the mash and topped with the cabbage. Garnish with micro coriander and red amaranth, if liked.
