Pickled Pork Hash with Red Bean Sauce
Hash topped with eggs is a frequent sight at breakfast. New Orleans’ version uses pickled pork shoulder, cooked in liquid crab boil to add the “bite,” and red bean (kidney bean) sauce, lifting this jazz brunch specialty far beyond the ordinary.
Ingredients
- Pickled Pork Hash
- Pork Shoulder - 2 pounds, boned
- Liquid Crab Boil - 1/2 cup (see note, below)
- Butter - 1/2 cup (1 stick) (alt. olive oil)
- Onion - 1 small, diced
- Green Bell Pepper - 1, diced
- Celery hearts - 1, diced
- Salt and white pepper
- Baking Potatoes - 2 large
- Garlic Clove - 3, minced
- Bay Leaves - 2, crumbled
- Red Bean Sauce
- Dried Red Kidney Beans - 1 cup, washed and picked over
- Butter - 1 cup (2 sticks)
- White Onions - 1 cup, chopped
- Celery - 1 cup, chopped
- All-Purpose Flour - 1 cup
- Beef Stock (preferably homemade) - 6 cups
- Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
- Watercress
- Assembly
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespooon
- Poached Eggs - 12 (consult the recipe for Veal Roussel)
Instructions
Cook the shoulder in water to cover, seasoned with crab boil, for 2 to 3 hours, just until tender. Cool the meat, then dice. Reserve 1 cup of the pork cooking liquid. Heat the butter in a large saute pan. When melted, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are lightly browned. Add the diced pickled pork, blanched potatoes, and reserved meat cooking liquid. Stir constantly. Add the minced garlic and bay leaves. Cook until the potatoes are tender and the ingredients adhere to one another. Remove the hash from the heat. Transfer to a covered container. Refrigerate overnight.
Red Bean Sauce
Cover the kidney beans with water and soak overnight. In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onions and celery for 10 minutes. Blend in flour. Add stock and beans. Boil slowly 1-1/2 to 2 hours until the beans are very tender, then puree slightly in a processor or blender; leave a little texture. Season and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assembly
Heat the oil in a large skillet. When hot, add the hash and cook until golden brown. Reheat the red bean sauce.
To serve: Place a large serving of hash on each plate. Top each with a poached egg. Spoon sauce over the hash and eggs. Garnish with watercress.
Note: Commercial liquid crab boil is available in many large groceries. Or, for each quart of water, use 1/4 cup salt, 2 lemon slices, 2 whole allspice, 1 sliced onion, 1 sprig thyme, 1 bay leaf, 3/4 teaspoon celery seed, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.
