By Mark Bittman
- Total Time
- about 1.5 hours, largely unattended
- Rating
- 4(1,569)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Spicy and sweet, this Peruvian stew is rich with apples and onions and scented with chiles, lime and cloves. It’s not at all difficult to make, and it takes less time than you would think, about two hours from start to finish. As you brown the pork on all sides in a pot, sauté the onions and apples with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves in another. Combine everything and braise until the pork is very tender and falling apart. If you’d like to make it in a slow cooker, put everything into the crock after browning and sautéing and turn the cooker on high. It will be ready in four to six hours.
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Ingredients
Yield:at least 8 servings
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 3 to 4pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2large white onions, chopped
- 4large apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 3snipped and seeded ancho or other mild dried chiles
- 3bay leaves
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¼cup fresh lime juice
- 4cups chicken stock
- Steamed rice for serving
- ¼cup chopped cilantro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
668 calories; 41 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 19 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 307 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Heat the olive oil in a skillet and brown the pork in it on all sides; you may have to do this in batches for the most efficient browning. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and apples in a pan with the chiles, bay leaves and cloves until the onions are tender, about 10 minutes.
Step
2
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, Dutch oven or slow cooker. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily but not vigorously. (If you’re using a slow cooker, turn it to high and walk away for 4 or 6 hours.)
Step
3
Cook, stirring every 30 minutes or so, until the meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then lower the heat (this will keep well for at least an hour before serving). Remove the meat, then reduce the broth as necessary; serve over steamed rice, garnished with cilantro.
Ratings
4
out of 5
1,569
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Cooking Notes
RDCollins
I followed the directions and used the ingredients called for — delicious, certainly not bland.
I used dried guajillo chiles and Honeysuckle apples and made a few changes:
1. Browned the pork in a 7-quart Dutch oven;
2. Removed pork and sautéed onions, etc., in the same pan, adding salt & pepper.
3. Deglazed pan with Sherry, added the broth & lime juice, and returned pork to finish cooking.
You could add other veggies, too — mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, parsnips, etc., all good!
AMI
Have made several times-always makes people happy. Have subbed a ginger beer or ginger apple cider for 1/2 the stock on occasion.
Andy
It's a nice base for a recipe, but the spices need adjusting. I feel that I should have stewed it with cilantro and added more lime juice than suggested in the recipe; plus, it needs to be spiced up with something other than mild dry chilies.
Rob Wilkin
I've used apple cider too and think it adds a nice extra layer of flavour particularly during Autumn.
LeslieMac
I made some alterations:
- you don't need to cut the pork into 2-inch chunks. Cut into a few big pieces, brown them, then cook in a Dutch oven at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours and the meat will break apart with a wooden spoon.
- I cut the broth to 2 1/2 cups so the meat would braise instead of boil.
- after reading the comments, I threw a handful of cilantro and a half teaspoon of cayenne pepper into the pot to spice it up.
Came out good!
hypeatia
Don't skip the peeling of the apples for sure. Helps it break down into the gravy.
katy
I noticed there were a few comments about the stew needing some more flavor. I Dusted the apples with the clove and some cinnamon ahead of time, added crushed garlic to the olive oil in the Dutch oven, and used about 5 Arbol chiles. As the vegetables were sautéing I dusted them with some cumin, paprika and oregano. Once the stew came to a boil I added a whole jalapeño and some red Chile powder—I usually don’t share when I alter but it was to die for.
Sue
re: smaller cubes of pork; remember that low and slow cooking is what breaks down the connective tissue and makes the unctuous mouth feel and that also makes pork shoulder so tasty. If too small, chunks will lose texture. Diners can break down the larger cubes at serving using a knife and fork.
Lauren
Question - could you do this recipe in an instant pot?
Myokyo
This stew is outstanding, although, next time I will cut the cubes of pork smaller!
Dennis
Have to say I find the end product pleasant but fairly bland. A warm apple sauce is soothing enough, but I could use ideas about adding spice interest to play off the sweetness of the apples. I did add more dried chilles than the recipe, but still...
The ginger beer/apple cider might be a good step.
Use pork loin instead
1. Use pork loin instead of pork shoulder to avoid so much fat. Or, pre-cook pork shoulder pieces, cool and skim fat before adding to recipe.
2. One onion is enough. Two seems a little heavy
Elena
Didn't have cloves so subbed for all spice, used fresh chilies. Followed suggestions and added extra all spice and lime juice as well as 3 cloves of smashed garlic. Tasted great!
Jill
Loved this--and a big hit with guests. I did not peel my apples. I added cilantro stems tied in twine while all this came together--just a nice flavor addition to the fresh cilantro. Also added about 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Also thickened the broth lightly with a slurry--just 2 T flour.
Very nice with brown basmati rice.
heather bee
I made this with a handful of pasilla and 3 New Mexico dried chilies, and at the end prepared them like I would for posole: puréed in a blender with some garlic. I strained that and added it back to the stew. In my opinion, without doing this, you will lose a lot of the flavor of the chilies (and this recipe needs that spice)!
ES
“Meaty apple soup!” said my boys. It came out brown, bland and sweet. Maybe my apples were too big? Not terrible, and still warming on a cold night, but not a clear winner like so many Mark Bittman recipes.
Bellaverdi
This is my first go with pork shoulder as a stew. It won’t be my last.Although I generally stick right to recipe, this time I appreciated and utilized several of the notes.I browned the large chunks of pork in the same cast iron pot as the onions and apples. I simmered everything stove-top for 2 1/2 hours until meat tender. I picked out the meat, and added cut up yams and carrots (2 of each) until tender. I reduced uncovered for another 30 minutes, then added the shredded meat and warmed.
Vatche Tchekmedyian
Really loved this. Added a sweet potato and used cascabel chiles whole since that is what I had. Served with quinoa.
Laura
Tasty dish! As many have noted, I added salt and pepper to the chunks of pork before browning. Also used one pan, first sautéing the pork the the apples and onions so the frond could be incorporated. The dish had a nice flavor, not bland but I would add more spice next time.
kim
1.5 limes.1 Morita and 2x pasilla OaxacaenASalt meat before browningBones in 4lbsDelicious!
Ricardo
I added Doenjang and Gochugaru and it added spice and depth to the flavor
Melissa
Used 1 fresh poblano 3 applesSmoked paprika Cinnamon 2 lbs porkReduce, reduce, reduce
Claudia
Oh my goodness — this stew was over the top delicious! I added garlic and only had beef broth in the house. I also couldn’t face another pan so I put onions, meat, apples in one skillet to brown (since I halved the recipe it wasn’t too crowded.). I’m always confused about dry chilies but crumbled 2 little ones, and threw them in with the broth. I simmered for several hours and the liquid reduced to almost zero. The end result was rich and almost caramelized goodness.
Add Bok Choy
I really liked this recipe but felt it needed some greens. Spinach was too mushy and not enough flavor but bok choy was the answer! I also served it with a splash of soy sauce and a boiled egg.
debra
Used Fuji apples.
Teresa
Yum! Works with pork roast (couldn’t find shoulder). Added potatoes and carrots at the end. I also made a small amount of roux to thicken it a bit. Started on stove, middle in oven, finished it on the stove.
SomervilleBob
Excellent recipe, easy and delicious. I made a few small adjustments:I didn't peel the applesI made a bouquet garni for the bay leaves and (whole) cloves which made fishing them out at the end easy.I included the zest of the lime I juiced. (I do this for nearly every recipe w/ citrus juice.)I did the simmering in a 275 degree over rather than the stovetopWhen I have it I add a little apple butter (from another Times recipe, albeit with much less sugar).
cooking note
Slow cooker 10 hours on lowBetter when I deglazed pan with sherry, added oregano about 1-2 tsp driedAdded a little more cloveMake sure to salt and pepper
Josephine
I boosted the flavor with a couple of teaspoons of Trader Joe’s Chile Lime Seasoning Blend stirred in during the simmering process. Worked well.
Elizabeth N.
Not sure why this dish looks red in the photo. Mine was pale yellow (chicken stock colored). I used a crockpot on high for 4 hours and that was perfect. Also substituted one fresh jalapeño for the dried chiles. Not a ton of flavor but the pork was very tender.
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