Pork Stew.

First of all let me wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. I hope to be meeting many more of my readers here in Santa Luzia during 2014.

Time flies and it is mid January already yet the sun continue to shine here on the Algarve and temperatures during the day are maintaining a very respectable mid to high teens.

Not so for the lovely Joan however, she jetted off to New York for a week on the 6th of January and arrived there just 2 days before the so called "polar vortex" which caused temperatures to plummet to below minus 20.

This sojourn left me  once again fending for myself and as the week went on my experiments in the kitchen got bolder and bolder and culminated in an attempt at a Portuguese style pork stew.
It was to my mind very successful and produced a really tasty dish.
In August I published my recipe for Portuguese style fish stew and a number of readers have asked for further recipes so here goes!!!

Portuguese Pork Stew

Ingredients:

·         500g boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

·         Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

·         Half  tsp. hot paprika

·         Half  tsp. cumin seeds

·         1 Tbs. olive oil

·         1 red onion, diced

·         2 large garlic cloves, minced

·         100mls full-bodied red wine

·         250mls chicken stock

·         400g. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

·         1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Method:

Brown the pork
Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with the paprika and cumin seeds.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil.

Add the pork and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate.

 Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté until softened.

Stir in the wine and broth and return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan.

Cook the stew
Bring the stew to a simmer, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

 Add the sweet potatoes and carrots, re-cover and continue to cook until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the stew in shallow bowls with chunks of fresh crusty bread.

Serves 2.  The amounts of paprika, cumin, salt, pepper etc. are guidelines only and can be adjusted to suit your taste.