Slow-cooked Leg of Pork with Beans

While this can be made with pretty much any bean, cannellini is the top contender. It is a bit sweet with the pork and the cannellini beans are wonderfully creamy, almost like a sauce. But the real trick for this is the bread and vinegar: the crunch of the buttered toast is a necessary companion, as is the strong, sharp taste of the vinegar. Be a little conservative when sprinkling the vinegar on top to assess how much you actually want. Note that the leftover beans make an excellent base for eggs and toast for lunch.

1lb 8 oz dried beans (cannellini, Red Mexican, pinto all worked)

5 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

2½ to 3 lbs. pork shoulder (Boston butt) roast or Leg roast

4 large leaves fresh sage, finely minced

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp whole fennel seeds, ground

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced or pressed

1 Tbsp olive oil

Black pepper

Fruit or white wine vinegar for serving

Crusty toasted and buttered bread for eating

1. Boil the beans for 10 minutes.
2. Place the beans, broth, and bay leaves in a large slow cooker (as the beans cook, they push the roast up and can lift the lid of a small slow cooker). Place the pork on top of the beans.
3. Mix together the prepared sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel, salt and olive oil to form a paste. Smear the paste all over the top of the pork.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours, or until pork is tender and beans are cooked through. Gently shred the pork into chunks.
5. Serve topped with freshly cracked black pepper and butter-toasted crusty bread. Drizzle on a splash of white wine vinegar if desired. Or Optionally, BALSAMIC for a bigger taste.