29. Basque Pork Stew

A touch of tomato, a hint of heat and bit of citrus combine to make this Basque Pork Stew make an explosion of flavors in your mouth!

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean pork shoulder, cut in 1-1/2" cubes
3 tbs olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2 onions, sliced thick
1 cup chicken stock
2 tbs tomato paste
2 sweet red peppers, cored and cut in strips
1/4 lb prosciutto (or baked ham), coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 orange

Make Ahead Preparation:

In deep skillet or shallow saucepan, heat 1 tb of the oil over medium-high heat; brown pork in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to plate to keep warm.

Add onions to the skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add chicken stock and tomato paste to the hot pan to deglaze it and bring to a boil. Return pork to skillet. Add peppers, prosciutto, garlic, paprika, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes.

Grate rind from orange; add orange zest to the stew. Peel remaining orange; chop coarsely and stir into stew.

Reduce heat. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until pork is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead, covered and refrigerated. May be frozen for up to 2 months, thaw in refrigerator and bring to room temperature.

Last Minute Assembly:

Defrost stew overnight in refrigerator. Reheat over medium-low heat.

Serve as is or over a bed of steamed rice or egg noodles.

Note: This recipe would also lend itself well to a crockpot. Simply brown pork on all sides in oil in hot pan. Add to crockpot with remaining ingredients. Set to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours.