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Pork Carnitas & Chickpea Stew

You could use canned beans for this, but cooking them yourself will give much better flavor and texture.

What you need

  1. 1-2 cups chopped leftover pork carnitas
  2. Leftover pork carnitas sauce or 2 cups full strength broth
  3. 1 recipe cooked chickpeas
  4. Olive oil
  5. 4 stalks celery, chopped
  6. 1 large carrot, chopped
  7. 1 medium onion, diced
  8. 1/4 head green cabbage, chopped
  9. 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  10. 2-3 Tbl tomato paste
  11. 1 Tbl ancho chili powder or chili powder blend
  12. 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder (optional)
  13. 2 cups water
  14. 1/2 tsp kosher salt or to taste

How to make it

  1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot
  2. Sauté celery, onion and carrot with 1/2 tsp kosher salt until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are beginning to brown
  3. Add garlic and stir well
  4. Add tomato paste, ancho and chipotle chili powders and stir to coat the vegetables
  5. Add chickpeas, water and sauce or broth
  6. Scrape browned bits off bottom of pan
  7. Add cabbage and pork, stir and bring to a boil
  8. Reduce heat and cover - simmer for 25-30 minutes until vegetables are tender
  9. Let stand and reheat when ready to serve or refrigerate overnight, reheat and serve

Chipotle chili powder is hot if you purchase your spices from a good source. If you don't like heat you can leave this out without affecting the finish. You could also easily substitute smoked paprika.

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