Milk Braised Pork and Beans

Milk Braised Pork and Beans

You’ll want to sop up every bit with crusty bread.

Ingredients :

• 6 (1/2- x 4-inch) lemon peel strips (from 1 lemon)
• 4 sage sprigs
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) dry white wine
• 1/2 pound dried giant lima beans or gigante beans, picked over and rinsed
• 1 medium garlic head, trimmed
• 3 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 (6-ounce) bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and torn (about 7 cups) (optional)
• chopped fresh parsley and crushed red pepper, for garnish
• crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. Gather lemon peel strips, sage, thyme, and peppercorns together in an 8-inch-square piece of dampened cheesecloth to create a purse-style sachet; tie to close using kitchen twine. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Sprinkle pork evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; add to Dutch oven. Cook, turning occasionally, until meat is browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in Dutch oven; discard remaining drippings. Add wine to drippings in Dutch oven; simmer over medium-high, scraping any browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven and stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes.
3. Return pork to mixture in Dutch oven. Add reserved sachet, beans, garlic head, broth, cream, and baking soda. Stir in milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until pork and beans are tender but not yet falling apart, 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes. (Begin checking pork and beans after 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking. If pork is tender before beans, use a slotted spoon to transfer pork to a bowl while beans finish cooking.) Add kale, if using, and cook, covered, until wilted and tender, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard sachet. Stir remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper into bean mixture; add additional salt and black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and crushed red pepper. Serve with crusty bread.