Santa Fe Pork and Black Bean Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds of pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1-2 jalapeño chili peppers, less or more to taste, seeded, stems removed
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 red bell pepper, diced, about 3/4 cup
• 2 long 1-inch wide strips of orange zest
• 1 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans , liquid included
• More salt to taste
• 1 to 2 limes
• Cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Sprinkle the pork pieces with 1 teaspoon salt, then let them sit while you prep everything else.
2. Warm 2 Tbsp olive oil in a thick-bottomed stew pot over medium high heat. Add the pork to the pot and brown the pieces on every side.
3. When the pork is browned, stir the chopped onions into the pot. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for about 7-10 minutes more, until the onions turn translucent.
4. While the onions are cooking, make the garlic-jalapeño mixture. Put the garlic and jalapeños in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until they’re minced. Add the oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and cornmeal, then pulse again until the mixture is ground.
5. Once the onions are done, add the spice mixture to the pork and onions in the pot.
6. Stir in the molasses, bell pepper, orange zest if you’re using it, and water. Bring everything to a simmer, then turn the heat all the way down to the lowest setting. Cover the pot and let it cook until the pork is completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
7. When the pork is tender, take out the orange zest. Add the black beans to the pot and cook for 20 minutes more over low heat.
8. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Add more salt to taste.
9. Serve with fresh cilantro on top. Great with warm corn tortillas.