Black Bean Pork Chili

For the black beans:
4 cups dried black beans (or 5 15 ounce cans, drained but not rinsed)
1 gallon water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon salt

For the chili:
1/4 olive oil
4 cups roughly chopped yellow onion
4 tablespoons minced garlic
4 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper, stemmed and minced
5 cups chicken broth
2 smoked neck bones
6 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon cumin

For the pork:
5 pound pork shoulder or Boston Butt, trimmed of all fat and sinew, or well trimmed and coarsely ground by the butcher
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Finish with:
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Scallion and Cilantro Sour Cream:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced scallions
1 tablespoon minced red pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Makes 1 gallon

Measure the black beans and pour them out onto a cookie sheet. Pick through them to look for small pebbles and discolored beans. Put the beans in a colander and rinse.

Using a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the beans, water, chicken bouillon cubes and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours or until the beans are very soft but before their skins start to break. Add additional water if needed, a cup at a time. Strain the beans over a large pot or bowl to catch the juice and reserve the juice for use in Black Rice.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Once the beans are cooking, cut the pork shoulder into 1/2 inch dice or smaller, removing as much fat and sinew as possible, or have a butcher coarsely grind it. Lightly toss the pork with the 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 2 tablespoons black pepper. Spread the pork out onto 2 baking sheets with raised edges to hold in the juices. Roast the pork for approximately 1 hour (I have been unable to roast the pork anywhere close to an hour before it starts to dry out and get tough), or until the meat is nicely browned, but not black. Remove the meat and save all of the juices and brown bits on the baking sheets. When the pork is cool, break it into the diced pieces again and reserve.

Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, 4 tablespoons of garlic, 4 tablespoons of ginger and the jalapeno and sauté, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the browned pork, chicken broth, neck bones and the tomato paste and the reserved juices from the pork. Let the pork and vegetables simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, or until the pork is quite tender, but not stringy. Add the cooked black beans, black pepper and cumin. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes over low heat until the flavors join and the consistency of chili is reached. Remove the neck bones.

5 minutes before you are ready to serve the chili, add the cilantro, 1 tablespoon ginger and the second teaspoon of black pepper and continue to cook over low heat to enhance with fresh flavors.

Pour the chili into warm soup bowls and add a dollop of the Scallion and Cilantro Sour Cream on top of each bowl. Corn Bread makes a great accompaniment.

Scallion and Cilantro Sour Cream
Combine the sour cream, scallions, red pepper, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt and black pepper. Mix well. Serve at once or place in a covered storage container and refrigerate.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

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