More Delia dealings: Pork braised in Sherry with Tomatoes

 

 

I don't normally blog a recipe from the same source twice but, you know, I make the rules here and I'll break them, plus this is too good a meal not to blog about right now, quite frankly, for it is a thing of beauty - a vibrant, Spanish inspired one pot meal which hints at the idea of Summer evenings sat outside on the terrace with a glass full of Rioja, but is substantial enough for a drizzly, chilly early March evening, couped up inside, watching the opaque light fade to black, with a glass full of Rioja...

 

 

 

March is Delia month at Cook Like A Star, hosted by Zoe at Bake for Happy Kids, Baby Sumo from Eat your heart out and Mich from Piece of Cake. which reminds me, I can't believe I haven't posted this earlier...

 

Let's be havin' you indeed. Too much cooking sherry.

 

 

 

and it is also Tomatoes time at Little Thumbs up organised by Doreen at my little favourite DIY and Zoe, at Bake for Happy Kids, and I am submitting this recipe here too, as the recipe covers both bases. Helpful.

 

This is a very easy dish to make, a genuine one pot wonder which once assembled, looks after itself for a couple of hours or so whilst the robust flavours meld. I served this with some garlic bread. Delia suggests potatoes. Delia knows.

 

A word, or several, about olives. I love them, Phill loves them, Lola and Finn hate them. I put them in as instructed in the recipe below and then carefully served Lola and Finn a helping without olives, however, they did taint the sauce a little. The kids persevered, bless them, (the dunking of garlic bread helped enormously!) but if olives aren't your thing, leave them out.

 

Anyway, recipe time:

 

Pork Braised in Sherry with Tomatoes and Chorizo, adapted from Delia's website

 

My adaptations in red

 

Serves Lola, Finn, Mum and Dad (I mostly halved the quantities listed in the original recipe).

 

Ingredients:

 

1lb piece trimmed shoulder of pork

4 oz chorizo sausage (I used raw chorizo)

1 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, thickly sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 rounded tablespoon plain flour

A half tin of chopped tomatoes

5 floz dry sherry (I used fino)

1 1/2tbsp tablespoons sherry vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)

A few sprigs of fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 red peppers, de-seeded and cut into thick chunks (I used a Romano (pointy) pepper)

a handful mixed green and black olives, pitted (Just used black ones)

salt and freshly milled black pepper Method:

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275F, 140C. Start off by chopping the trimmed pork into largish cubes if you need to (mine was ready cubed) then remove the skin from the chorizo and slice it into thinnish rounds. Next heat one tablespoon of the oil in the casserole over a high heat and when it’s really hot add a few of the cubes of meat to brown well on all sides. Remove them to a plate then continue to brown the rest of the meat in small batches, adding a little more oil if required. Once the meat has been browned, add the chorizo to the pan and cook until it begins to render its red oil, then add the onions and cook for about five minutes until the onions have taken on a golden hue and are starting to brown.   Next, return the meat to the casserole and stir in the flour to soak up the juices, then add the chorizo followed by the tomatoes, sherry and sherry vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle in the thyme and bay leaves then give everything a good stir. Lastly bring the casserole up to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and transfer it to the centre of the oven to cook for 1½ hours.   When the time is up, add the sliced peppers and the olives (left whole), give it all one good stir, cover again then leave it to carry on cooking for another ½ hour or until the peppers are tender. Serve with a sprinkling of parsley and some garlic bread, or potatoes, or rice maybe... As mentioned above, I am submitting this recipe to the 'Cook Like a Star' March blog hop. Please visit the other sites below for some of my friends' amazing Delia recipes. In addition, I am submitting this blog post to 'Little Thumbs Up' the featured ingredient this month being tomatoes.