Spring is officially here, but we're still having plenty of cold nights when a casserole seems the perfect choice for dinner.
This week's recipe sits a pile of slow-cooked pork on a bed of lentils. It is a flavoursome partnership that needs no accompaniments but, if you feel the need for something green on the plate, a few Brussels sprouts would certainly not go amiss.
The Puy lentils are cooked by a method that Parisian chef Thierry Breton showed me, but if you think it's too fiddly, simply follow the directions on the packet.
500g shoulder pork, preferably free range, cut in 2cm cubes
salt and pepper
half cup plain flour
half red onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled, snapped, de-stringed, sliced
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1cm discs
1cm piece ginger, peeled, chopped
2 cloves garlic, part-crushed, chopped
half cup white wine
three-quarters cup chicken stock
For the lentils
three-quarters cup Puy lentils
1 Tbsp butter
half small red onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
salt and pepper
Set oven to 180C. Trim excess fat from the pork, then chop it finely and render (melt) in a frypan. Season the flour, toss the pork cubes through it then shake off the excess in a strainer.
Brown the pork in the melted fat, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Add onion, celery, carrot, ginger and garlic to the pan, toss to coat with fat then add the wine, stirring to incorporate browned bits. Reduce slightly, then add stock.
Transfer the pork, vegetables and liquids to a casserole, and cook in the oven for one-and-a-half hours, or until the pork is very tender. Add more stock if necessary during the cooking time.
To cook the lentils, place in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil, drain, then repeat with more cold water. Simmer for 5 minutes and drain again.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pot, add the onion, celery and carrot. Cover and sweat on a very low heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add pre-boiled lentils, cover and cook at a very low heat for 45 minutes or more, until the lentils are soft but still have some texture. Season to taste. If they stick to the bottom, add a little chicken stock. Serve on warmed plates with pork piled in the centre of the lentils.
Serves 4
Wine match
Pork is often served with white wine, but the addition of lentils makes this dish a good match for pinot noir. One that really impressed during a recent trip to the Deep South
was Amisfield Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006. It has all the right cherry and ripe plum aromas and a deliciously velvety texture for its ripe fruit flavours. At $40, it's not cheap, but by Central Otago standards that's a bargain.
