Black Bean Ham Hock Stew
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2-2.5 hours
- Oil for sauteeing
- 2 onions, peeled and quartered
- 5 cloves garlic, whole
- 1 smoked ham or smoked pork hock (I usually ask for the smallest one so that it can fit into my pot)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 5 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover the ham hock)
- 2x400g/14oz tins black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 4x teaspoons Qidra spices
- 2 chillies, sliced
Step 1 - Heat a large cast iron pot with lid (big enough to fit your ham hock) on medium heat. Add oil and saute onions for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Add the garlic and carrot and cook for 1 minute. Then add ham hock and cover with stock. Bring to a boil and simmer with the lid on for 1.5 hours turning over if the water runs low so that the meat becomes soft and falls away from the bone. Remove the meat from the bone and sort of mash it so that it breaks up into smaller chunks. I also discard the rind because it can be quite fatty and Mr NQN doesn't eat it. But by all means keep it in if you want. It becomes meltingly soft.
Step 2 - Add the black beans, spices and chillies and simmer with the lid off until the liquid starts to evaporate and thicken to a stew-like consistency. This may take up to 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much liquid is left and how much liquid you want. Season with salt and pepper if it needs it. I served this with brown basmati rice (my favourite brown rice as it takes less time to cook).