Rustic French Pork and White Bean Stew
SERVES: 6
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: NATURAL
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS*
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 30 MINUTES
*PLUS BEAN SOAKING TIME
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS This French-inspired dish, with chunks of pork, creamy white beans, fennel, and carrots, tastes like it simmered all day, yet the pressure cooker makes it doable on a weeknight—even with dried beans in the mix. To keep the cooking time down, we browned only half the meat and still built enough flavorful fond on the bottom of the pot to season the stew. We continued to build a base with sautéed onion, garlic, and herbes de Provence before deglazing the pot with white wine. To ensure each component cooked through evenly, we cut the carrots and fennel into large 1-inch pieces and salt-soaked the beans. Once everything was tender, parsley and lemon juice went in to brighten the flavors. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. See the Test Kitchen Tip and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
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3 |
pounds boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (click here.) |
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Salt and pepper |
|
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2 |
tablespoons vegetable oil |
|
2 |
onions, chopped |
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8 |
garlic cloves, minced |
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1½ |
teaspoons herbes de Provence |
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⅓ |
cup all-purpose flour |
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1 |
cup dry white wine |
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3 |
cups low-sodium chicken broth |
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1 |
pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1 inch thick |
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1 |
fennel bulb, stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut into 1-inch pieces |
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8 |
ounces (1¼ cups) dried cannellini beans, picked over, rinsed, and salt-soaked (click here) |
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2 |
bay leaves |
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¼ |
cup minced fresh parsley |
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1 |
tablespoon lemon juice, plus extra as needed |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Pat pork dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of meat on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl.
2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and herbes de Provence and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps, and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Stir in broth, carrots, fennel, soaked beans, bay leaves, browned pork with any accumulated juices, and remaining pork.
3. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 30 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
4. NATURALLY RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
5. BEFORE SERVING: Remove bay leaves. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in parsley and lemon juice and season with salt, pepper, and extra lemon juice to taste. Serve.