Wednesday, December 8, 2010

12: Tuscan-Style Pork Stew in Red Wine and Herbs

The slow cooking madness continues! If you missed it, be sure to check out this bolognese sauce.

Last winter in DC was pretty wild. We had over five feet of snow, and we were snowed in for four days because this city isn’t prepared for that type of snow. It just doesn’t happen here. I happened to have a five pound bag of cubed pork shoulder perfect for stewing. This meal takes about 3-4 hours of total time to prepare and cook, but it didn’t matter at the time because I had nothing but time!

Fresh herbs make this meal so complete and flavorful that you should think twice before adding any salt or pepper. Pair it with a hearty red wine, and you will fall in love. We drank a magnificent cab/shiraz/merlot blend from Australia – the name escapes me.

Ingredients and Directions:

-2 tbs olive oil
-1 medium onion, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1.5 lbs pork, cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
-1 cup fresh parsley leaves
-1 cup hearty red wine
-28 oz can peeled tomatoes
-2 branches fresh rosemary
-12 fresh sage leaves
-2 cloves garlic, peeled
-day old bread
-cheese for garnish

Saute the oil, onion, and minced garlic in Durch oven (or large saucepan) over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the pork, stir, and cook until it has taken on a slight golden edge – 5 to 6 minutes. Now add the parsley and wine, stir, and bring wine to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 25 minutes. The wine should have reduced by half at this point.

Slowly add the tomatoes to the pan, and stir well to mix everything together. Then add the rosemary and sage, ensuring you push the herbs down into the tomato juices. Bring to a boil once more, reduce heat as long as you can, and cook for 2 hours. The end result should be incredibly tender pork and a somewhat thick sauce. Cook a little longer if need be.

Preheat the broiler. While the stew finishes cooking, toast the bread under the broiler. Be sure to keep a close eye on it as you will only need a couple minutes on each side to crisp it up nice enough. Remove bread and coarsely chop.

Serve stew over bread crumbs, garnish, and enjoy!

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