Goulash meets Mexico

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g pork neck
• 800 g onion(s)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 chili pepper(s)
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 100 ml water
• 1 can of tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can kidney beans
• ½ lime(s), juice and/or zest
• 1 tsp, heaped cane sugar
• 1 tsp, levelled black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp coriander, fresh, chopped

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours 45 minutes

pork, spicy, Mexican

Cut the pork neck into 2 cm cubes and sear in batches in a stainless steel roasting pan or pot in a little vegetable oil until a nice brown (not black, otherwise it will be bitter and unhealthy) residue forms on the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the meat in a bowl and set aside. Roughly dice the onions, finely chop the garlic and chili pepper, and finely slice the celery. Add the vegetables to the roasting pan and braise in the meat juices with the tomato paste and sugar for 5-10 minutes at medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. A nice reddish-brown residue should now have formed on the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the meat to the vegetables and deglaze everything with the vegetable stock and the canned tomatoes. It’s best to scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to ensure that the residue dissolves into the liquid. Add the kidney beans and simmer covered at low heat for 3-5 hours. You could also add some corn. The meat/vegetables should be covered with liquid; for this I added a little more water because the broth was already very flavorful. When the meat starts to fall apart, add the pepper, coriander and 2-4 tablespoons of lime juice and let it steep for 10 minutes. If using an untreated lime, you can also add a little zest. Season with salt and serve. Goes well with rice with a spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream. I could also imagine filling tacos with it, for example. Notes: I used a stainless steel roasting pan to get a good browning. It took me about 3.5 hours until the meat was as desired. The consistency here is more like pulled pork. Everyone’s tastes vary greatly when it comes to coriander, lime, garlic, and especially chili, so feel free to adjust the seasoning to your liking. I used just a small red chili pepper from the Asian supermarket, and it was quite powerful.