Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

If you've read my recipes for a while, you probably know how much I love maple syrup. You might also remember how happy I was when I discovered how delicious it is with pork chops. That recipe made me curious to see how else I could use the two ingredients together to make some tasty meals.

A recipe is mostly about a good balance of flavor (hence why sharp flavors like balsamic vinegar go so well with maple syrup), so I tested various amounts of garlic and Dijon mustard (another very good friend to pork) until I found the lip-smacking proportions that made the dish shine. I added a bit of heat with some chili flakes and it was perfect!

This recipe is now one of my weeknight life-savers: it's very easy, comes together in about 30 minutes and it is utterly delicious, in that wonderful, sticky-sweet and salty way. Add some mash potatoes (or fries, if you are feeling especially naughty) and some steamed, crispy veggies, and you have a gorgeous retro dinner to enjoy!

All-purpose flour, for dredging
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chili flakes, or more, to taste (I will use up to a tablespoon)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup maple syrup

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350 °F. Sometimes, cutting the tenderloin in half makes it easier to manipulate as you cook it (those loins can be BIG pieces of meat). Dust the tenderloins with flour.

In an ovenproof skillet (I used my cast iron pan), brown the meat in the butter and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet. Set aside.

Add a little butter in the skillet, if necessary, and soften the onion along with the garlic, chili flakes and thyme. Add the mustard and maple syrup and simmer for about 1 minute, until it thickens.

Return the pork to the skillet and coat with the sauce.

Transfer the skillet to the oven, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how done you like it. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Spoon some of the caramelized onions on top and serve garnished with fresh thyme.

The end result is so pretty, in a simple, understated elegant way. Be careful not to overcook the meat: tenderloin does have the word "tender" in it, and you definitely want that melt-in-your-mouth feeling when you tuck in. Everyone I have ever served this dish to (and a bunch of my friends who spied the picture on my Instagram) raved and begged for the recipe. Well, here it is, gluttons!!! Enjoy!

P.S. My friend Patrick tweaked the recipe a bit, and added about a shotglass worth of Disaronno to the sauce. The result made him make the following NC-17 statement: "If it this food had been sex, I would have been coming a few times each bite". This is by far the coolest recipe review, ever. I love you, Pat!!! xxxxx

Sweet and Sour Pork

Is it me or does the word "sweet" come up a lot in this blog recently? I HAVE had sweet cravings non-stop lately; I suppose it was only a matter of time before it bled into my recipes... even the savory ones! Oh well!

Sweet and sour pork is a dish that gave me quite a bit of trouble. I tried some bland recipes, some ridiculous ones (I am looking at you, Jamie Oliver!) and some that didn't even bother including pineapples. What a sham! So when I found myself looking at a lovely piece of pork tenderloin and some fresh pineapple in my fridge, I did what any kitchen mad-scientist would do: I Frankenstein-ed a recipe together from scratch. Or rather, I converted my sweet and sour chicken recipe for pork.

At the good old Chinese take-out joint, sweet and sour pork is one of those twice-fried dishes, like General Tao chicken. If that floats your boat, that's fine. I like a bit of double-fried piggy myself from time to time, but this is spring, which means I am digging my cute dresses and skirts out of my closet, so I have to make sure my winter fat goes away. I bike and walk, but not frying everything I eat to death is also a reasonable step I am taking towards fitting in that little pleather number. I included instructions for the traditional uber-fried pork at the end of the post for those with private trainers.

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 container cremini mushrooms, quartered

1/2 to 2 cups pineapple chunks

Sauce:

1 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup hot water

2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minded
1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, minced

Sesame seeds, for garnish

In a small sauce pan, mix the vinegar, sugar, ketchup and soy sauce together; bring to a low boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water, then gently stir into the boiling pot. Cook and stir until thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

Pre-heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a large wok or pan. Sauté the garlic, ginger and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the pork and pepper to the wok and fry until the pork is well cooked, about 10 minutes.

Pour the sauce in the wok along with the pineapple chunks. Mix everything together well, and cook another minute or two, until everything is heated up. Serve with some rice, with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

This recipe makes a great, colorful plate, full of tasty vegetables and tender pieces of pork. The sauce has a perfect balance of sweetness and lip-puckering kick, but if you like it sweet, use 1/3 cup ketchup instead of a 1/4 cup.

If you want to go the classic way and fry the pork before stir-frying it with the veggies, you will need:

2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cupp all-purpose flour

Stir the batter ingredients together in a bowl. Add a bit of water if it's not liquid enough to coat the pork cubes. Add the pork to the bowl and stir, to make sure the pieces are all coated. Let it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes, while you prepare the sauce. Line a big plate with paper towels. Pour some peanut oil into a wok over medium heat and let it get hot (but not smoking). In 2 or 3 batches, add the pork cubes and fry them until golden-brown on the outside and cooked, through, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove the pork from the wok with a slotted spoon and put them on the paper toweled plate to drain the excess oil. Then simply carry on with the rest of the recipe.

This version is obviously a little fatter than the first one, but even I have to admit that it's super-tasty: just save it for special occasions!

Of course, this can be made with nice chunks of tofu, shrimps or chicken cubes (as I have one before right here).

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Potatoes and Mushrooms

I decided to break the little tofu rut the blog had gotten into lately with a good old meat and potato recipe!

I was in the mood for something comforting and old-fashioned for our Sunday night dinner: it just felt like the kind of night where I wanted to stay home, apron-up and spend the evening in the kitchen while blasting Bad Religion records. The winter's dragging on and it's making me crave rich comfort food and angry political music. I'm quirky like that.

Tenderloin is my favorite cut of pork, mostly because it's affordable, but also because it's really versatile: you can roast it, grill it, chop it up to stew it, slice it thin and stir-fry it... I try to always have one or two in the freezer because there are so many ways of turning it into a plateful of yums. I usually have a lot of Asian-themed recipes for pork, but I wanted to try something a bit more traditional.

This dish has a classic Sunday dinner flair to it, like something you'd see Betty Draper whip up for a dinner-party on "Mad Men": meat, potatoes, mushrooms, a creamy sauce... just classic! The ingredients are mostly pantry-staples I always have around, and the technique is absolutely idiot-proof easy, making it a recipe everyone can pull-off with great success.

You can either mix up regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, or use just one kind, but the sweet potatoes can offer a lovely change of pace texture-wise, and they also boost the vitamin content of your plate.

1-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
3 medium white potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch chunks (or 2 white potatoes and 1 sweet potato)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper   
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 package mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon savory
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 cup all-purpose flour   
2 cup milk

1 cup chicken broth   
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard   
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Place the pork in center of baking dish, tucking the thin end underneath. Arrange the potatoes around the pork.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic, onions, spices and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper; sauté for 8 minutes or until mushrooms are brown.

Stir in the broth and mustard. Whisk flour into the milk; stir the mixture into the pan and bring to a boil, stirring. Boil and stir for 1 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the pork and potatoes and roast for another 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 160°F.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes. Return the potatoes and the sauce to the oven for 5 minutes; stir well. Slice the pork crosswise; serve with the potatoes and sauce, sprinkled with parsley.

As you can see from the picture, I should have used a wider roasting dish. But hey, the sauce helps cook the meat just as much as the roasting does: no problem. The smell is also completely amazing as the dish cooks, and the meat comes out tender and juicy.

It's a nice, easy recipe with a lot of down time, so give it a try next time you are in the mood for a delicious, hearty meal!

Mustard and Beer Pork Roast

It had to happen sooner or later : full-leg pants came back out of my dresser, the comforter went back on the bed and the craving for hearty dinners and soups has been nagging at my appetite. Summer is not gone yet, but it’s on its last few miles, and while I intend to make the most of it, the cooler evenings are now calling for warmer, richer fares.

Last winter, my darling friend Véronique took over my kitchen and demonstrated her risotto-fairy gift, and also made a delicious pork tenderloin, roasted with some Dijon mustard and beer. The V-Wonder’s way is all about eye-balling and writing nothing down, so it took a bit of reconstruction, but I was able to build a recipe inspired by her improvisation, adapted for a 2-pound roast.

Mustard is definitely pork’s best friend: the piquant condiment complements the meat’s sweetness oh-so well. Add a bit of garlic, tarragon and the sparkly taste of beer, and how can you go wrong? Obviously, only Dijon mustard will work here! No blinding yellow substitute accepted. As for the beer, choose a blond or red seasoned beer that has a crisp taste, with no overwhelming bitterness.

1 2-pound boneless pork loin roast
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry tarragon
1 teaspoon dry rosemary
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bottle blonde or red beer (I used Unibroue's Blonde de Chambly)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pat the roast dry with paper towels, pierce the meat in several places with a fork, and sprinkle with some seas salt and freshly cracked black pepper. In a bowl, mix the Dijon mustard, the herbs, garlic and 1/4 of the beer.

Place the roast, fat-side down, in a Dutchoven or roasting pan and rub the roast with the paste. Pour the rest of the beer around the pork (the meat should be sitting in about 1/2-inch of beer).

Place in the oven, uncovered, and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, flipping the roast over halfway through. Use a meat thermometer to check the meat’s temperature: 160 degrees means medium, and 170 means well done. Once the meat is done, remove from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let sit for 5 to 20 minutes, then slice and serve. Drizzle the meat with the mustard sauce from the cooking pot.

Pair this roast with some mashed potatoes to get an awesome twist on a traditional stick-to-your-rib Sunday dinner. Deceptively simple, but very homey and delicious! You can let the roast sit in the mustard rub for a few hours before cooking, but that's not a necessary step. However, letting the roast sit a while after it's cooked is essential: giving the meat a break between cooking and being sliced allows the juices to spread through the entire roast, as opposed to being concentrated in the middle. You'll get a much juicier piece of pork than if it goes straight from roasting pan to plate.

You could also use the same seasoning for a beef roast; just remember that both types of meat need to roast for 20 minutes per pound! Adjust your cooking time accordingly, and do get a meat thermometer! Taking a bet as to whether your roast will be undercooked or overcooked is not the kind of gambling I condone...

Don’t be daunted by roasts like I used to be: once they are nicely rubbed, they literally cook themselves, and the leftover meat will supply you in sandwich filling for your next 3 lunches! It’s much better to roast a big piece of meat and use what’s left than buying terribly salty sandwich meat from the grocery store. Not to mention more economical. Get some pre-sliced Swiss cheese or Jalsberg, crusty bread, a tomato and some mayo, and you can easily whip up a tastier sandwich than most delis (and save yourself from sodium-induced dehydration at the same time).

Pan-Fried Pork Chop Attitude

From time to time, my boyfriend has to remind me that I am a Joe Strummer kind of punk, and not the Sid Vicious type. For those who don’t know punk much, those two guys are so often used as polar opposites that it’s almost a running joke. Strummer was the optimist/activist “the world sucks, so let’s work together to change it!” guy, and Vicious was the nihilist, self-destructive junkie who thought the world sucked so much the only thing he could do was try to destroy it (and he ended up killing himself in the process).

Joe Strummer is my hero, and I love him so much that I actually have his portrait tattooed on my arm.

But when I run into an obstacle that makes me feel like saying “fuck this shit!”, I sometimes need to be reminded that Joe would not have given his problems the finger and walked away: he would have figured out a way to solve things. If I get a bit too Sid Vicious about something, my boyfriend pokes my Joe Strummer tattoo. It makes me grump, but I do get proactive after that little reminder.

One of the obstacles I ran into on my culinary adventures is something I would never have thought to be defeated by: pork chops (yes, I like to wax deeply philosophical just to start talking about ridiculously mundane things). My first attempt involved a honey-mustard sauce that ended up too salty because of an excess of chicken broth. The second attempt was a glazing that turned into carbonized caramel and made the chops virtually uneatable.

I wasn’t exactly excited about giving pork chops another shot; in fact, I got very close to flipping them the bird and moving on. But being defeated by chops would have been really pathetic and sad, so I ended up trying again. Figuring I had aimed a bit too high by attempting a glazing, I decided to find an extremely simple, bare-bones - but not boring - way of cooking some chops.

I like to get basic family cookbooks from time to time, because even if you have a million of those, there is always a little trick that you didn’t know hidden in those pages. Deborah Anzinger wrote a really cute book called “Cook”, and even if I am not part of her target audience (the book is definitely aimed at working parents), I liked it. It contains a few uber-basic recipes I had never tried, demystified and simple enough that they could be customized and played with to my heart’s content. It was in that book’s pages that I found a very easy pan-fried pork chop recipe that seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.

I love maple syrup (I am not Canadian for nothing, after all), I love balsamic vinegar and I love hot sauce. Would I still love them once they were all mixed together? Well, yes I did! Sweet, tangy and spicy. How can that be wrong, I ask you?

In fact, I love the sauce so much that it became a go-to sauce. If chicken fingers or popcorn chicken are something you like, you simply have to try this sauce! But without further ado, here is the complete recipe:

4 boneless pork chops, about 3/4-inch thick
Sea salt and ground pepper
Olive oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 3 teaspoons hot sauce (to taste; I used my beloved Sri Racha sauce and it worked beautifully)

Nick the edges of the meat to prevent it from curling during the frying, and sprinkle the chops with sea salt and ground pepper, to taste. Mix the maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and hot sauce together in a small bowl. Taste and adjust the hot sauce until the mixture has the desired kick.

Preheat a glug of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Lay the chops flat in the pan and cook until slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Flip the chops and fry for another 3 minutes.

Pour in the sauce and turn the chops over, to coat. Cover the frying pan and cook for another 2 minutes, until the meat is cooked through, and the sauce lightly caramelized and glazing the chops.

These chops are delicious with rice and vegetables, but if it's Friday and you want to treat yourself, sweet potato fries or mash are definitely winning sides!

Adjust the cooking time according to how thick your pork chops are: the thicker they are, the longer they need to cook! But the whole thing takes 10 minutes tops to put on the table, which makes it very practical as a weeknight dinner idea.

You can substitute the pork for scalloped chicken breasts (try breading them like I did with my Parmesan chicken cutlets...), and I am pretty sure this sauce will be amazing on grilled tofu! That's a must-try for me in the near future... You can also use plum sauce instead of maple syrup, to give your dish a little Asian twist.

Can I just say I am so glad I did not give up on pork chops, even if they have previously frustrated me so freaking much. Instead of writing them off, I discovered a great quick-meal idea, and a tasty sauce I will use over and over again. Imagine all the deliciousness I would never have experienced if I had Sid Vicious-ed the whole deal...

I raise my glass to Joe (who would have turned 60 today!) for inspiring me to overcome even the silliest things in life.

By the way, here is my amazing tattoo-artist's online portfolio. She is the best!

Pork Stir-Fried with Fresh Ginger

Stir-fries are brilliant week-night meals. They are generally very easy, and once everything is chopped up, they are ready in the blink of an eye. This one is great, because it is very flavorful and and packed with veggies. Simple and delicious. And on a Monday evening, what could possibly be better than that?

I found this dish in Nancie McDermott's "Real Thai", tweaked it a bit (her servings tend to be tiny) and I find it to be a great basic recipe for a quick stir-fry. You can adjust the heat of ginger and Sri Racha to taste (I love ginger and my sweetie loves spicy, so when we make it, it generally sets off our fire alarm), but it's practically impossible to screw up. The original recipe called for the ginger to be cut into long, thin slices, but that seemed to concentrate it's taste in a few bites. If you chop it instead, the lovely flavor will be in every mouthful.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1/2 pound pork, thinly sliced
3/4 to 1 cup fresh ginger, chopped
1 small onion, sliced lengthwise into thin wedges
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 package fresh mushrooms (oyster mushrooms, if you can find them), thinly sliced lengthwise
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons water

1 to 2 tablespoons Sri Racha sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat a wok over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil and swirl to coat the surface. When the oil is very hot, drop a piece of garlic in the pan: if it sizzles immediately, the oil is ready. Add the garlic and toss until it just begins to turn golden, about 15 seconds. Add the pork and stir-fry until it is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

 
Add the ginger and toss to coat with the oil. Let it cook one minute and then add the onion and fish sauce and toss to mix them in. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and stir-fry until the mushrooms have softened and are shiny, about 1 minute.

Add the bell pepper, Sri Racha sauce, water and sugar and toss well. Cook without stirring for 1 minute. Taste the sauce: it should have a pleasant balance of hot, salty and sweet. Adjust with soy sauce and/or sugar, as needed. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot, with some jasmine rice or rice noodles. We had it on vermicelli when I took the pictures and I have to say I prefer it on noodles of any size, as it's not saucy enough for the flavor to really be absorbed by rice.

The meat will be very tender, and there will be a lovely ginger heat in every bite. You can also substitute the pork for the equivalent quantity of chicken or tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces. Play around with the veggies, and the possibilities are just about endless.

If fish sauce makes you queasy (the smell grosses the living daylights out of me, even more so when I start thinking about what goes it in, so I use it as little as possible), simply use 6 tablespoons of soy sauce, and add a pinch of salt when you add the sugar.

The Mighty Vindaloo

Montreal has been buried under a ton of snow and freezing rain has made walking in the streets a very dangerous activity. Oh, the joys of winter in my city… When I am cold and miserable (getting drenched in freezing rain and being in a crowded grocery store does that to me, go figure), there is no better cure than my favorite curry, devoured while watching "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World".

I wasn't a fan of pork until the first time I tried this delicious vindaloo recipe, but cooked like this, it becomes so tender and tasty that I need a responsible adult to make sure I don't wolf down the entire pot. The fresh ginger and tomatoes in the broth also make me happy beyond reason, and the intense heat from the chile is ideal for cold weather. Be warned: this is one hot-hot-hot curry (some Indian restaurants don't even carry it, because most customers can't handle it)! But what I love about it is that the flavors are balanced perfectly; the spices do not overwhelm and you get to enjoy every element of the tasty combination! I cheat and smooth it out a bit with a few dollops of plain yogurt, but that doesn't hide any of this vindaloo's glory.

I served it to my friend Michael, who is very British (the Brits are experts on curry, so I figured he'd give me constructive commentary), and he cleared his plate and declared it "bloody good!", which was the highest compliment I could have hoped for. But don't take his word for it: the Ramones literally sing vindaloo's praise in "I Just Want to Have Something To Do"!

A bit of history: vindaloo is a bit of a bastard curry, i.e. it is not purely Indian. It was originally derived from a Portuguese dish of pork, cooked with wine and garlic. This recipe made it to Goa, India, where the wine was substituted for vinegar, and chiles and other traditional spices were added. It's often made with chicken or lamb, instead of pork, and potatoes are sometimes added to it. The recipe below is as close as possible to authentic Indian vindaloo, though perhaps a bit less fiery. I'll leave the dosing of chile to your discretion.

I will repeat my old chile warning: if you are working with a type of chile you haven't tried before, go with very little at first, and adjust to your taste as you go along… cuz once it's in the pot, there is no taking it out! Also make sure you handle them carefully with plastic gloves, wash your hands and every surface the chile came in contact with. Better safe than on fire and very, very sorry to have rubbed your runny nose.

From "Jamie's Food Revolution", this wonder-curry feeds 4 to 6:

2 medium yellow onions
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 fresh red chile

1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes
1 3/4 pound of diced pork
1/2 cup of vindaloo curry paste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
a pat of butter
peanut oil
1 cup natural yogurt

Peel, halve and finely slice the onions. Peel and finely slice the garlic and ginger, Finely slice the chile. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely slice the stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, an cut each quarter in half lengthwise. Get a casserole-type pan on medium heat and add a couple of lugs of peanut oil and the butter. Add the onion, garlic, chile, ginger and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are soften and golden. Add the pork and curry paste. Stir well to cover everything in the paste. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, honey and 1 cup of water (don't be tempted to put more or you'll drown your curry!) and stir again. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Check the curry regularly to make sure it is not sticking to the pan. When the meat is tender and cooked, carefully season with a bit of salt and pepper. Serve with basmati rice and a few spoonfuls of natural yogurt on top, and the cilantro leaves.

As you can see, once everything is chopped up, this curry comes together in a snap and you get to sit with a good book until it's ready: another reason to love it! The acidic bite of the balsamic vinegar with the ginger is unusual, but highly addictive. Try it with lamb, chicken or tofu, if pork is not your thing. It never fails to be delicious. Just be mindful to adjust the cooking time: 30 minutes for the chicken and 25 for tofu (the cooking time for lamb and pork will be pretty much the same).

If you want to serve a wine with this, go with a crisp white, such as C'est La Vie chardonnay-sauvignon, that will shock your palate with a cool feeling before you go for the next bite of spicy goodness. A nice blond beer is also a great idea.

Pork and Cider Stew

Stews may be the oldest dish on Earth. Every culture and local cuisine has one or more recipes for stews, which is essentially meat and vegetables, slowly cooked in their own juices. Cassoulet, tagine, goulash and chili con carne are all examples of stews. Old and versatile!

What's wonderful about stews is that once you master the basic principles, you can throw virtually anything in a Dutchoven (or slow-cooker, if you swing that way) and get a rich and delicious meal after a few hours of simmering. Tougher cuts of meat are preferred for stews, as the long simmering softens it better than other methods of cooking. A savy way for cooks to make sure no meat is wasted!

In the colder months of the year, knowing a few stew recipes comes in very handy, because a proper dosage of meat and vegetables will give you a complete and satisfying meal with relatively little effort. A stew is obviously more filling than a soup, so if you are going to serve it with a side dish, keep it nice and light.

This recipe has a British taste to it: pork, sage and cider are a traditional match. Add to that a few chunks of potatoes, carrots and onions and you have yourself the kind of food served by every self-respecting pub in England (or self-respecting Irish pubs in Montreal). You can either cook it in the oven or one stove top. I prefer the latter technique, if only to have the enticing smell fill the kitchen!

From "Jamie's Food Revolution", slightly altered.

2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
Sea salt and ground pepper
3 sprigs fresh sage
1 pound diced stewing pork
2 cups medium-dry hard cider (I used L'Éphémère cider, from Unibroue)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, if you plan on cooking the stew in the oven. Put a Dutchoven over medium-heat. Put all the veggies and herbs in with 2 lugs of olive oil and fry for 10 minutes. Add the meat and flour. Pour in the booze and canned tomatoes. Give a good stir, then season with a teaspoon of sea salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, put the lid on and either simmer slowly on your stove top or cook in the oven for 2 and a half hours. Stir occasionally. Remove the lid for the last hour of simmering, also stirring a couple of times. This will reduce the liquid and thicken it. Add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry. Remove herb stalks, taste and adjust seasoning as needed and serve.

I like to keep my veggies chunky, but even if you like them smaller, try to chop them in equally-sized pieces so that they cook evenly. The cider and sage give the pork a nice, rich and comforting taste. I love the texture of the meat cooked this way: it becomes very tender and breaks apart so easily you can almost say it melts in your mouth.

My boyfriend and I enjoyed this as our New Year's dinner, with a garden salad, crusty bread and a few slices of Bois Blond cheese. A dry red wine goes very well with this stew (we had Celeste, a delicious Spanish red).