Jack's World Famous Pork Chops and Black Beans Recipe

There's something about a pork chop that brings out the creative side of my cooking. This is a recipe that I came up with one evening while waiting for my lovely wife to come home from work.

Everything I cook generally has to have three important qualities...

• It's easy

• It's "different"

• And it tastes great

And this qualifies on all three counts

I'd rate it about a 4.5 on a ten scale of cooking experience needed, and your family is guaranteed to love it. It has a semi-Caribbean style to it, and you can control the "heat" that you put into it.

Ingredients

• 1 packed cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves both
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped green bell pepper
• 12 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped Spanish onion
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 half cup olive oil

• 1 30 oz can of black beans
• 1 14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper (or more, if you please)
• Salt and pepper to taste

• 4 one inch thick pork chops, or slices of pork loin

Directions

Chop the cilantro stems crosswise into very short pieces. (The stems are full of flavor and if you can mince them fine, they won't be stringy). Puree the cilantro with the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and olive oil in a food processor, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary to make a soft pesto.

In heavy 5 quart "chef's skillet" fry salted and peppered pork chops in a little oil until lightly brown on both sides. Take chops from pan and put to the side.

In the same skillet, saute the pesto in a little vegetable oil until it is lightly cooked and begins to smell good, about 10 minutes. Add the meat back into the pot, turning it so that it is well coated on both sides with the pesto.

Open and drain the beans, and pour over the chops. Sprinkle half the spices onto the beans. Open and drain the tomatoes and pour them over the beans, and sprinkle the other half of the spices over them.

Gently pour the chicken stock around the edges of the pan.

Cover and bring to a low boil, and then gently simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice...

If you like this recipe I encourage you to browse to my other food hubs. I think you'll find much to enjoy.