Florence Fabricant's Orange Pork Ragout with Beans

It is 80 degrees in New York City today (that's 26 degrees Celsius - one degree warmer than would be required to close school in Berlin!) and I'm spooning up pork ragout like it's the first day of winter and I've just settled in for the long haul. Strange? Perhaps. But awfully tasty.

I'll blame the fact that I have this wintry stew in my house in the first place on the fact that spring has taken its sweet old time getting here this year. You know the global weather's out of whack when Berliners are in shorts in April and we're still pulling out our wool coats well into May.

Last week, when this recipe flitted across my radar (from an old Pairings column from, you guessed it, the ever-reliable Florence Fabricant), it was just the right time for pork-and-beans - cold, windy, rather gray. Though I'm realizing that apparently warm, sunny and rather bright is also a good time for pork-and-beans. In fact, shall we just put it this way? When is it ever not a good time for pork-and-beans? Okay, maybe a July weekend at the beach. Maybe then.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe - using half the amount of pork and orange, and a little less smoked paprika than called for. Instead of cannellini beans, I used Rancho Gordo's Yellow Indian Woman beans because I am in love and you cannot mess with a woman in love. With beans. What resulted was a warm, smoky, fragrant stew that got better and better and better with each passing day. The pork became fork-tender and delicious, the beans held their shape beautifully, the wine and the orange juice and the rosemary and spices melded into a rich, sticky stew that goes very well over rice or mopped up with crusty bread, or simply spooned up out of the plate, too.

And with that, I'm closing down the department of stews, ragouts and braises for the season. Bring on the salads, the cold soups, and the fresh fruit of summer!

Orange Pork Ragout with Beans
Yields 4 servings

1 cup Yellow Indian Woman beans, rinsed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, in 2-inch chunks
1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
3 branches fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Small pinch red chili flakes
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Place beans in a saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, bring to a boil, cook 2 minutes, cover and set aside to soak 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 4-quart casserole and brown pork without crowding over medium-high heat. Remove. Add onion, garlic and bell pepper. Sauté over low heat until soft. Stir in paprika, cloves and zest. Stir in orange juice and wine, scraping bottom of pan. Return pork to pan. Set aside until beans have finished soaking, then drain beans and add. Add rosemary, black pepper and chili. Bring to a simmer.

3. Cover and simmer 2 to 3 hours, until beans are tender. Add water occasionally, if needed. Season with salt. Leave in casserole for serving or transfer to a serving dish. Scatter parsley on top before serving.

Comments

[denise]

I think I am enticed to make this dish simply because I love the name of the beans. Well, that's not entirely so, your photograph and description are lovely. I'll give them a try the next time we see some San Francisco fog--it's never very far away.

[AliceWaters:Abridged]

What a way to move into Spring. I wouldn't have thought to pair pork and beans with orange. If there's another unseasonably cold day, I'm definitely going to give it a go.

[The Kitchenette]

I'm loving this recipe. It's very make-ahead friendly... soak the beans overnight, and put them in the slow cooker for the last 3 hours? Done and done. I'm making this ASAP.

[Lecia]

This looks delicious! I'll try it this weekend.

[joanna goddard]

YUM! looks amazing!!!

[TheKitchenWitch]

I have never heard of the kind of beans you mention, but they are so pretty and poetic sounding. Do you have to get them somewhere special?

I'm saving this one for the next rainy day.

[Luisa]

KitchenWitch - they are simply wonderful. Firm and meaty, just the right size, with incredible flavor. I love them. You can get them at online at Rancho Gordo or Purcell Mountain Farms. The original recipe, however, calls for plain old cannellini beans, which I'm sure are fine here, too.

[Rose-Anne]

Somehow, you made pork and beans sound downright sexy! How did you do THAT? ;-)

I am absolutely THRILLED that winter might really, truly be over for many months. Huzzah!

[KT]

Well, it's always a good time to EAT pork and beans... just might be too hot to COOK them sometimes. :) baked beans go so well with barbeque food...

[Treehouse Chef]

Very interesting and tasty recipe! I will save this for the weekend!

[Erin]

I'm sold. My husband is going to laugh when I serve this now that it's FINALLY feeling like spring in Chicago, but it sounds too good to resist!

[laura]

Well, it's still strangely cool on the gold coast, so I'll have to give this one a try to ward off the unusual chill.

[Ulla]

That looks fantastic. it is funny because beans in France are very wintry but in Mexico where it is very hot they eat them all year round. this dish looks amazing!

[The Leftoverist]

No need to apologize for still shopping in the Stew Department. I have pumpkin scones in the oven right now, which silly when strawberry season is right around the corner.

[BF]

i love the sound of this one. as soon as we get some cooler weather (which will inevitably happen), i'm making this.

[Grace F]

That looks and sounds good. I can almost hope for yucky weather to be able and justify making it! It might be a great meal to prepare ahead!

[Barbara]

Who cares if it's hot outside? I live in Florida and cook things I want whenever I want. This looks wonderful!

[unconfidentialcook.com]

This looks so easy and delicious--thank you!

[Darina]

Why not? Brazilians eat pork and beans all the time (feijoada) and it's dang hot down there!

[dynagrrl]

As soon as the weather turns warmer I start to CRAVE stews and heavy foods! It's crazy! This looks fantastic, I hope to give it a try!

[Eralda]

Wow! This looks soooo good, as well as the carrot soup below. thanks for sharing.

[Nicole]

Bah, who cares if it's spring- it's always a good time for beans! Looks delicious. Thanks for posting this!

[chelsea]

Oh. My. Goodness.

That looks reeeeeeeeeeeeeally good!

[Hannah]

I made this on the rainy friday we had, and I used rancho gordo red appaloosa beans, and it was so tasty and filling and flavorful! Thanks for the recipe, this is definitely a winner!

[Giff]

I refuse to shut down the braise or bean season, any time of year! Once again, you have published a recipe that is right in the sweet spot of what I like to cook and eat!

[Kate]

I have only just stumbled across your website and LOVE it! This recipe sounds like the perfect way to experiment with my mum's ancient crockpot this weekend - wonder how it'll go with the slow cooking method. Can't wait to go through your index of recipes - this is a great site!