Irene's Frijol con Puerco

Irene, our incredible Na'atik cleaner, has shared one of her favorite dishes and Yucatan Peninsula classics: Frijol con Puerco (beans with pork). This is a dish that must be eaten while here in the Zona Maya and many visitors are often asked by locals if they've tried it as it’s a favorite across the board. The best part of the meal, like with many of the region, is the fresh salsa that’s prepared by first roasting the tomatoes, onions and chiles and then hand-mashing them all together.

Some folks like eating the final product like a soup, whereas others prefer to pull away the chunks of perfectly cooked pork onto a plate and add the salsa, then eat the beans with their broth separately. No matter how it’s eaten, it’s a delicious staple that’s actually quite easy to prepare.

Frijol con Puerco recipe (for 4 - 6 people)

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ kg (½ lb) of white pork meat with some fat

• ½ kg (1 lb) of pork bone

• ¼ kg (½ lb) of dried black beans

• 1 sprig of epazote (can be found in many grocery stores)

• 2 liters (½ a gallon) of water

• 2 tsp of salt

• 2 radishes, chopped

• 1 small onion, chopped

• Small handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

• 2 limes, cut into 6 pieces

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALSA:

• 2 small tomatoes

• 5 sprigs of cilantro

• 1 small onion

• 1 habanero pepper

• Salt to taste

PREPARATION:

1. Wash the dry beans, removing any small stones or deformed beans

2. Rinse off the meat and bones

3. Put the beans, meat, epazote, and salt in a large pot with the 2 liters of water

4. Cover and cook on low-medium heat for approximately 2 hours

5. 30 minutes before the soup is finished, begin preparing the salsa

SALSA PREPARATION:

1. Roast the tomatoes directly on the stovetop until it’s a bit charred and soft. Use metal tongs to flip them around on the burner

2. Set them aside to cool

3. Roast one onion and habanero pepper directly on the stovetop burner until they're a bit charred and soft. Use metal tongs to flip them around

4. Set the onion and habanero aside to cool

5. Remove the seeds of the habanero

6. Remove the tomato skin

7. Cut the onion into centimeter-sized pieces

8. Cut off fingernail-sized piece of habanero pepper (or more if you like spice)

9. Place the tomatoes, onion, habanero, salt, and cilantro in a dish

10. Mash them all together

SERVING

1. In soup bowls, serve the soup

2. Keep it in the bowl as a soup or separate the meat onto a plate

3. Add salsa, chopped radish, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, and lime to taste

4. Enjoy with hot tortillas!

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