Historical Note: This is a classic French pork and bean dish from the Languedoc region of France. Serve with a hearty red Harwood wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Meritage.
Chef: Kerry Wicks
Yield: 8 servings.
Ingredients:
First Cooking
- 1 bag dried navy beans (900 g)
- 1 package slab or belly bacon (375 g)
- 12 cloves
- 1 head garlic, cut in half, skin on
- 1 shallot, cut in half, skin on
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large sprig rosemary
- 1 small bunch thyme
- Freshly-ground pepper and sea salt
Second Cooking
- Drained beans from first cooking
- Reserved liquid from first cooking
- Reserved, trimmed and chopped meat portion of slab bacon (discard fat)
- 2 lb pork shoulder trimmed and cut in small cubes to 1 lb
- 1 5” piece kielbasa (Polish sausage), peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 pork hock
- 2 onions diced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 carrots diced
- 1 celery rib diced
- 1 large tin chopped tomatoes and juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large sprig rosemary
- 1 small bunch thyme
- 1 small bunch parsley
- Freshly-ground pepper and sea salt
Instructions:
- Rinse beans several times in cold water then leave in a stainless steel or glass bowl overnight, submerged in cold water, and covered in plastic wrap, to hydrate in the fridge. This should be done the night before the cooking day.
- Early in the morning of the cooking day, rinse the beans and place in a large stock pot or Dutch oven. Cover generously with cold water, and add all ingredients from the “first cooking” section.
- Bring to the boil, skim then simmer slowly for 45-60 minutes, until beans are just cooked al dente.
- Strain and reserve liquid. Trim fat from slab bacon and dice meat, discarding fat. Place beans in a slow cooker. Add diced slab meat. Add all ingredients from “second cooking”. Cover with reserved liquid. Turn on slow cooker to low setting, for 6 hours. Top up with reserved liquid as needed.
- When cooker is done, remove ham hock and herbs. Pull [skinned/trimmed] meat from ham hock and shred, and return to pot.
- Serve with toasted panko bread crumbs (fried in olive oil and lemon zest), garlic bread, or crusty French bread and sweet butter and a fruit-driven red wine such as Harwood’s Meritage.
Special Notes: 4 14-oz (400ml) canned navy beans can be used instead of the dried beans. Salt pork may be used in place of the slab bacon, but after first cooking discard it in its entirety, and then substitute 3 strips regular bacon, chopped, for the second cooking. Stove top cooking can be substituted for the slow cooker (use very low heat, slow simmer, about 4 hours).
Wine Paring: Harwood Cabernet Sauvignon or Meritage.