Pork and beans? This is NOT your boring, overly sweet and sticky
Campbell's pork and beans that comes in a can with a greasy chunk of
limp pork in every can. This is a main course.

Yucatecan cuisine evolved differently from that of the interior of
Mexico. Travel from Yucatan to Mexico City was so difficult, it was
easier for the criollos to travel to Cuba or Spain for cultural and
culinary purposes, and Europeans dared not penetrate the jungles of
Quintana Roo until the 1930's. But traditional Mayan cooking can also
be found
in the cities of Yucatan and Quintana Roo today, you just have to know
where to look.

Every Monday, you'll find this Mayan version of pork and beans
simmering on stoves all across the Yucatan. It's served at home and in
small front room restaurants, called cocinas economicas (inexpensive
kitchens), run by housewives supplementing their income by serving
home-cooked food for the mid-day enjoyment of the local working folks
and adventurous gringos.

This recipe was made by the Mayans with wild boar which is still hunted
in the interior of Quintana Roo, but cooks now use the domestic pig for
this tasty soup or hearty main course, depending on how you choose to
present it. This recipe should serve about six persons.

2 cups dried black beans sorted and rinsed
14 cups water
1 tbsp lard or oil
½ onion
2 pounds of boneless pork, cut into chunks
2 sprigs of epazote
3-5 serrano chiles
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa de tomate verde (optional)

Some recipes suggest adding two cubes of commercial chicken bullion.
The MSG in the bullion will temporarily enhance the flavor so the
diners devour whatever is on their plates and crave more.

Place beans in a large pot, add 10 cups of water, lard and onion, then
boil for 5 minutes.
Cook covered over medium heat for 1 hour.
Add pork, remaining water, epazote and chiles. Cook covered over medium
heat for another hour. If too much water cooks off, add up to 2 more
cups of hot water.
Add the salt and cook for 30 minutes. Correct the seasonings.

The pork and beans can be ladled out of the pot and arranged on a warm
platter and served on plates and the soup can be strained and served in
bowls.

When the soup is almost ready, prepare the traditional garnishes -
finely chopped radishes, onion, cilantro, lime wedges and salsa de
tomate verde and put into small serving bowls.

Serve the soup piping hot and allow your guests to add their own
garnishes once they are seated at the table.

Salsa de tomate verde
3 cups water
2-½ tsps salt
2 cloves garlic
4 serrano chilies
1 pound green tomatoes (tomatillos), husks removed
½ cup loosely packed cilantro
¼ cup chopped onion

Bring water and 1 tsp. of the salt to boil in a saucepan. Add the
garlic, chiles and tomates verdes and simmer uncovered for 8 - 10
minutes.
Transfer garlic, chiles, tomatoes and liquid to a blender. Add the
cilantro and remaining salt and purée briefly.
Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the onion and let the sauce cool before
serving. Other recipes suggest heating the salsa de tomate verde and
pouring it over the meat and beans while it's hot. The extra salsa
can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.