This dish is the epitome of comfort food. It cooks low and slow giving you Smokey beans and tender pork. Serve with some bread or over your favourite starch.
What You’ll Need - Serves 4
250g Black Eyed Beans
600g Smoked Pork
1 Large Onion
4 Garlic Cloves
2 Carrots
6 Celery Stalks (I keep the leaves and wilt them into the beans at the end)
4 Rosemary Sprigs
4 Bay Leaves
1 Tbs Paprika
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
4 Cups Vegetable Stock
Water if needed
Salt & Pepper
Prep - Overnight
Soak your beans overnight in water. Don’t skip this step.
The following day - peel and dice your onions and carrots.
Remove the leaves from the celery stalks and put aside. Slice the celery into bite size pieces
Peel and slightly crush your garlic cloves
Prepare your vegetable stock if it needs to be made (diluting stock cubes in 4 cups of hot water)
Let’s Get Cooking - 4 Hours
In a large pot, heat some vegetable oil and add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, bay leaves and cook until soft.
Add the paprika and combine.
Drain the soaked beans, add to the pot and combine.
Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Add the rosemary sprigs and stir. Then place the smoked pork on top of the beans.
Bring the heat down to medium and cover to simmer.
After an hour, check on the beans and skim off any fat that rises to the top.
You ski fat by taking a flat spoon and scooping up any fat. Do this every time you check your beans there’s any fat at the top.
Keep checking and add water gradually if needed until the beans are soft and the pork is falling off the bone and tender.
Once the pork is tender enough, use a fork and start pulling it apart and combine into the beans.
Remove the rosemary stalks and discard.
Taste for salt and season now (smoked pork already is salty so you might not need much).
Wilt the celery greens into the cooked beans and pork.
Serve with some fresh bread or over any starch or carb substitute you prefer.
Love,
V