Cowboy beans

sigh!  Fresh, delicious, porky beany slow cooked garlicy spicey stew... with nutty rice and a green veg.  AND VICTIM DECLARES PREFERENCE FOR THE PRODUCTS OF THE COMPANY OF 57 VARIETIES!!!! Never mind.  Despite many years of training, old habits and tastes die hard... and victim does keep sneaking contraband into the diet.... SO, putting my disappointment aside - and celebrating the fact that I think it was LOADS better than anything tinned... here is what I did... (OK, last warning... if you prefer plasticised sausges in a tin with sugary sauce - please open your tin - if you want real food with some flavour reading on might be useful....).  We had some pork belly slices in the freezer and none of us are keen on the fat, so I thought a sear - followed by a long slow stew would give tasty results - so chop pork belly into small bite size pieces and brown/sear in hot olive oil.  Add 2 chopped onions and about 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic.  Then added veg - in this case - orange pepper, celery and some nice mushrooms.  Stir in until all coated with pan juices - add herbs, tsp marmite, tsp mustard, big splash Lea and Perrins and whatever hot sauce (tabasco/ BBQ whatever is to hand... to taste), {erm .. if going even more from scratch here you need molasses, vinegar, chili, pepper, salt and other spices to taste) and good grind of black pepper.  Simmer / put in hottish oven if you have other stuff on - for about 30 ins - added soaked / tinned (prepared in a carton from S'sby) - cannelini or flagolet beans - taste - add whatever you think it needs - try salt first, then add herbs/ marmite for complexity - chili/curry powder for heat.  Add tin tomatoes and/or cartons of passata until it all looks OK...  Serve with rice (see the packet!) and a green veg.  Victim complained (unfairly I think, see above) but also commandeered good portion to feed outlaws - and 4 more dinners packed in boxes... so on economy scale I approximate - 65-70p per portion.