Comfort Food Essentials Classic Pork Stew

CLASSIC PORK STEW

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the pork in the dutch oven, turning and stir so that they brown on all sides.
• Stir in the onions and minced garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the potatoes, carrots, mushrooms, celery, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, ginger ale and broth. Stir to mix everything.
• Cover dutch oven with lid and place in the oven to bake for 3 hours.
• Take dutch oven out of the oven. In a separate bowl whisk together the corn starch and water to make a slurry. Stir the slurry in the stew to thicken.
• Serve.

CLASSIC PORK STEW

Steps:

• Toss pork cubes with flour, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl until evenly coated.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the pork; cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Transfer the meat to a clean bowl; repeat with the remaining pork.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the pot; cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and herbs; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste darkens, about 1 minute. Add wine; cook, scraping the bottom of the pot, until reduced by about half, about 1 minute. Add stock, bay leaves and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt; return the browned pork and any accumulated juices to the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and cook until the pork is almost tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Stir in potatoes, carrots, parsnips and mushrooms. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer 1/4 cup of the liquid to a small bowl; whisk in cornstarch to make a slurry. Stir the slurry back into the stew; increase heat to medium. Stir in peas; cook until the peas are bright green and the liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and remove and discard bay leaves. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

PORK & APPLE STEW WITH PARSLEY & THYME DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a flameproof and ovenproof dish. Add the onions, celery, bay and thyme, and fry for about 8 mins until softened. Add the pork and cook for a few mins until it changes colour, but it doesn't need to brown as you don't want to overcook it.
• Stir in the mustard powder, garlic, flour and vinegar, then pour in the bouillon, stirring to prevent any lumps forming.
• Add the apple, leeks and carrots, bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hr, stirring occasionally, until the pork and vegetables are tender.
• When the stew is nearly cooked, heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. To make the dumplings, tip the flour, baking powder, mustard powder, parsley and thyme into a bowl and stir to combine. Put the yogurt in a jug, make up to 100ml with water, then stir in the oil. Lightly stir the liquid into the flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. Divide the dough equally into eight and shape into balls. Drop them on top of the stew, drizzling each one with the remaining oil. Bake for 20 mins until the dumplings are golden. Scatter with the extra thyme, if you like, before serving.