Santa Fe Pork and Black Bean Stew

By Foodiewife

This is perfect for the Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp 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 (about 2 cups)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1-2 jalapeño chili peppers, less or more to taste, seeded, stems removed-use 1 jalapeno only or it's hot!
• 2 Tbsp cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (less or more to taste)-reduce to 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 red bell pepper, diced, about 3/4 cup
• 2 long 1-inch wide strips of orange zest (optional)
• 1 cup water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans (we recommend Bush's or S&W premium), liquid included
• More salt to taste
• 1 to 2 limes
• Cilantro for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over the pork pieces and let sit while you prep the other ingredients.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a thick-bottomed stew pot on medium high heat. Add the pork pieces to the pot and brown them on all sides.

3 Once the pork pieces have browned, add the chopped onions to the pot with the pork. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the onions are translucent, about 7-10 minutes more.

4 As the onions are cooking, work on the garlic spice mixture. Place the garlic and the jalapeños in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until minced. Then add the oregano, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, and cornmeal and pulse everything until ground.

5 Once the onions are cooked, add the spice mixture to the pork and onions. Add the molasses, bell pepper, orange zest (if using), and water to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and let cook until the pork is completely tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.

6 When pork is tender, remove the orange zest and add the black beans to the pot and cook for 20 minutes more on low heat.

7 Remove from heat, and stir in the lime juice. Add more salt to taste.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro. Great with warm corn tortillas.