White Beans with Pork and Croutons
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Total: 5 hr 40 min
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
White Beans with Pork:
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup white wine, optional
4 cups low-sodium pork stock (see Cook's Note)
Two 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded hearty greens, such as kale or collards
2 cups shredded Perfect Paprika Pork Shoulder, recipe follows
1 cup grated white Cheddar
Croutons:
1 small loaf sourdough, torn into 1- to 2-inch chunks
3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Perfect Paprika Pork Shoulder:
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
6 to 7 pounds bone-in pork shoulder
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 cloves garlic
1 onion, sliced
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 canned chipotles, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- For the white beans with pork: Heat the butter and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, oregano, thyme, garlic and onion and season with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables soften and the flavors develop, 4 to 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine, if using, allowing the liquid to reduce for a minute or so. Add the stock, beans, greens and Perfect Paprika Pork Shoulder. Bring to a boil and cook until the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
- For the croutons: Meanwhile, toss the torn bread with the melted butter on a sheet pan. Season with salt and pepper. Toast in the oven until golden and crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Serve the beans and pork in bowls garnished with the torn croutons, grated white Cheddar and fresh oregano.
Perfect Paprika Pork Shoulder:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Mix the salt, pepper and paprika in a small bowl. Season the pork all over with the mix, sprinkling it on and then rubbing it in with your hands.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the pork on all sides until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Stir the garlic and onion into the pot and cook for 1 minute.
- Tie together the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves with butcher’s twine. Add to the pot and stir. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom. Stir in the broth, chipotle and adobo sauce. Add the pork to the pot fat-side up and bring to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until very tender, 4 to 5 hours.
- Remove the pork from the liquid, shred with 2 forks and serve with the accompaniments of your choice, spooning over the liquid as a sauce.
- Place any leftovers in a container and transfer any liquid to a separate container. Allow both the pork and the liquid to cool slightly before covering and refrigerating. Once the liquid has chilled, the fat will solidify at the top and make it easy to separate and discard. You can then reheat the pork as you’d like, using the stock to keep the pork from drying out.
Cook’s Note
If you do not have pork stock, you can use the leftover liquid from cooking the Perfect Paprika Pork Shoulder or substitute pork bouillon cubes and water.