This is one of my favorite stews and of course it features pork! I prepared this last year for our harvest party so I became very friendly with it after preparing about 8 pots of it. It was a hit and it pairs so well with our earthly Old Camp Pinot Noir. -Melissa
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
20 prunes
3/4 cups Armagnac brandy
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds pork shoulder meat, excess fat trimmed, cut into 2-inch chunks
4 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bottle full bodied red wine
1 cup demi- glace
2 bay leaves
1 bouquet garni: 4 juniper berries, 3 rosemary sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs, handful of parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS
- Combine prunes and Armagnac in a bowl. Let sit for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or oven-proof pot with lid. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Saute in batches, without overcrowding, until all brown on all sides. Transfer meat to a bowl. Add bacon to dutch oven and saute until fat renders. Add carrots and onion. Saute 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
- Return meat to the pot with any accumulated juices. Add prunes with Armagnac, wine, demi-glace, bay leaves, bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover pan and transfer to oven. Bake until meat is very tender, 2 1/2-3 hours. Remove from oven and taste to check for seasoning. Remove and discard bay leaves and bouquet garni.
- Pair with Sanglier Old Camp Pinot Noir
- Serve with mashed potatoes, pasta noodles, polenta or some crusty bread.
- Stew may be prepared up to two days in advance. Warm over low heat or in a 300 F. oven before serving.
Old Camp Pinot Noir
pairs perfectly with Melissa's Pork Stew