Peruvian Pork Stew With Chiles, Lime and Apples

By Mark Bittman

Peruvian Pork Stew With Chiles, Lime and Apples
Yunhee Kim for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.
Total Time
about 1.5 hours, largely unattended
Rating
4(1,630)
Comments
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Spicy and sweet, this Peruvian stew is rich with apples and onions and scented with chiles, lime and cloves. It’s not at all difficult to make, and it takes less time than you would think, about two hours from start to finish. As you brown the pork on all sides in a pot, sauté the onions and apples with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves in another. Combine everything and braise until the pork is very tender and falling apart. If you’d like to make it in a slow cooker, put everything into the crock after browning and sautéing and turn the cooker on high. It will be ready in four to six hours.

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Ingredients

Yield:at least 8 servings
  • 2tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 to 4pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2large white onions, chopped
  • 4large apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
  • 3snipped and seeded ancho or other mild dried chiles
  • 3bay leaves
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • ¼cup fresh lime juice
  • 4cups chicken stock
  • Steamed rice for serving
  • ¼cup chopped cilantro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

668 calories; 41 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 307 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the pork in it on all sides; you may have to do this in batches for the most efficient browning. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and apples in a pan with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily but not vigorously. (If you’re using a slow cooker, turn it to high and walk away for 4 or 6 hours.)

  3. Step 3

    Cook, stirring every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then lower the heat (this will keep well for at least an hour before serving). Remove the meat, then reduce the broth as necessary; serve over steamed rice, garnished with cilantro.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,630 user ratings
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Comments

RDCollins

I followed the directions and used the ingredients called for — delicious, certainly not bland.

I used dried guajillo chiles and Honeysuckle apples and made a few changes:

1. Browned the pork in a 7-quart Dutch oven;

2. Removed pork and sautéed onions, etc., in the same pan, adding salt & pepper.

3. Deglazed pan with Sherry, added the broth & lime juice, and returned pork to finish cooking.

You could add other veggies, too — mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc., all good!

AMI

Have made several times-always makes people happy. Have subbed a ginger beer or ginger apple cider for 1/2 the stock on occasion.

Andy

It's a nice base for a recipe, but the spices need adjusting. I feel that I should have stewed it with cilantro and added more lime juice than suggested in the recipe; plus, it needs to be spiced up with something other than mild dry chilies.

NoCheese

Our stove is being weird. I pulled the pork butt from the freezer. thawed, salted, peppered, and let it rest. Red onion instead of white Two red apples of unknown origin The shaving from one of the hard limes that survived the family party, and the juice of two. Chili powder instead of dried chillies along with some paprika, powered sage, and red chili flakes. Threw everything into the crock pot. Covered with water, plus two chicken bullion cubes. Emulsified apples at end.

Portland

I took to heart all the comments that this was bland. Added extra veggies - parsnips, carrots, spinach, cilantro. Took to heart that it was bland so added smoked paprika, salt and pepper at each stage, and 1 jalapeño along with chile de arbol. We love spice… the spice was overpowering. 4 lbs meat cut into 3-4” chunks. I will try again and tone it down. Served with rice.

Jackie

This was really good and I will definitely make it again but found myself wanting a dollop of something fresh. Perhaps some fresh mango salsa…

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