4poundscountry style ribs, cut into 2-inch chunks, no bones
1head ofgarlic, cut in half lengthwise
1white onion, halved
3bay leaves
10black peppercorns
1tablespoonkosher or coarse sea salt
1pounddry small white beans, such as navy beans
For the Mole Verde:
2poundstomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 to 2serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed
3garlic cloves
1/2cupwhite onion, coarsely chopped
1teaspoonkosher or coarse sea salt
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
4whole cloves
4cupsof pork broth, reserved from cooking the pork, divided
2tablespoonsvegetable oil
1/2cupcoarsely chopped fresh epazote, leaves and upper parts of stems
1/2cupcoarsely chopped fresh parsley, leaves and upper parts of stems
3 to 4teaspoonsfresh hoja santa leaves, torn into pieces, or substitute 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled, or skip
Chopped white onion, to garnish
Thinly sliced radishes, to garnish
Quartered limes to squeeze, to garnish
To Prepare
To cook the pork and beans:
Place the pork, garlic, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt into a large soup pot. Cover generously with water. Set over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Skim off any foam that forms on top, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook until meat is tender, about an hour. Take off the heat. Remove the pork chunks and place in a bowl, set aside.
Strain the pork cooking liquid into a large bowl. Set aside 4 cups to use for making the mole verde, and pour the rest of the liquid back into the soup pot. Set over high heat, incorporate the beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for an hour or until tender. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To make the mole verde:
Place the tomatillos and chiles on a baking sheet and set under the broiler until they are completely charred, soft and mushy, anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes.
Place the roasted tomatillos and chiles along with the garlic, onion, salt and pepper in the jar of a blender. Remove and discard the stems from the whole cloves, and add the tops or “berries” (may have already been crumbled) into the jar as well. Add 1 cup of the reserved pork broth and puree until completely smooth.
Heat the oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Once hot, but not smoking, add the tomatillo puree. Cover partially with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened considerably and has deepened in color.
In the jar of the blender, place the epazote, parsley and hoja santa along with remaining 3 cups of broth, and puree until completely smooth. Add to the casserole with the sauce and stir. When it comes to a simmer, add the reserved pork chunks and beans.
Continue cooking at a medium simmer for 25 minutes or until meat is completely coming apart and mole verde has thickened again. Serve and let people garnish as they please with onion, radishes and squeezes of lime.