Don’t worry if you wind up after the holidays with more winter brews in your refrigerator than you can drink, said Stephanie Witt Sedgwick in The Washington Post. Porters and stouts are great for cooking, as you’ll discover if you make this pork stew some cold January day.
Pork and white bean stout stew
2 tbsp olive oil
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into cubes
2 cups diced onions • kosher salt
1 cup stout
¼ cup molasses
½ tsp ground cloves
two 15-oz cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
black pepper
1 lb peeled, seeded butternut squash, cut into ¾-inch pieces
Heat oven to 325 and position a rack in its bottom third. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook pork 3 to 4 minutes, until browned, then transfer to a bowl. Turn heat under empty skillet to high, add ½ cup water, and dislodge browned bits. Remove skillet from heat and reserve liquid.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Add stout, 1 cup water, molasses, cloves, beans, and liquid from the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and add pork. When liquid bubbles, cover and transfer to oven. Bake 1 hour. Remove pan from the oven and stir in the squash, then cover and return to oven. Bake 20 minutes or until the pork and squash are tender. Let rest 10 minutes, uncovered. Serves 8–10.
