Yes, it’s been a weirdass year full of American embarrassments, AND we must all eat, so please, friends, dig in to whatever you’re having for New Year’s Day with enjoyment and gratitude, whether the ingestion brings good fortune for 2021 or not. Last year’s blackeyed peas seemed to have let me down, everyone, but on reflection, I’m thinking maybe the year would have been even more ugly had I not eaten those delicious little gasmakers with my favorite people last January.
I made mayacoba beans this year because I was too lazy to get in line for blackeyed peas—perspective, amirite? I love these beans. They’re described in copy/paste fashion as “buttery,” and though they taste not a whit like butter, they are delightfully soft and delicious and take quite well to being transformed into a lemony pot of hope for a more sane year than the last shitshow we were gifted.
Enjoy yourselves, friends.
Rinse the beans and soak them overnight in a giant bowl with water to cover by double. You can leave this out on the kitchen counter with a cover or towel over it.
A couple of hours before time to eat, add a swizz of olive oil to a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Sear the pork—you want the outsides to brown, but don't worry about doneness at this point. This meat is going to cook for a couple of hours along with the beans. I do this with the lid half crocked, allowing a little steam to escape. Remove the pork to a plate once browned. Remove most of the fat from the pot in whatever way you do this. If you're a paper towel user, this is the time.
Either peel and chop the onion, garlic, celery, turmeric, ginger, and cilantro or peel and whiz everything in a food processor until it's chopped (not too fine). Zest the lemons.
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the pork pot and add the onion, garlic, celery, turmeric, ginger, and cilantro. Sauté over medium high heat until beginning to soften. Add the lemon zest and bay leaves and stir around for 30 seconds or so. Add the pork back to the pot along with whatever juices have collected in the bowl.
Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pot along with water or stock to cover by an inch or so and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest simmer, cover, and let cook for up to two hours, until the beans are softened but not mushy and the meat is falling apart. Add a little water to cover if necessary—in the end, the beans should be juicy but not soup.
Remove the pork bones if you feel like being nice. Otherwise, turn the heat off, stir in the lemon juice, and invite everyone to fill bowls from the stove, because you have wine to drink, don't you?
Top your bowls of beautiful beans with cilantro, green onion, Sriracha, bacon... whatever, friends. Serve alongside some greens and cornbread. Happy freaking New Year.