A winning recipe for pork stew

Who doesn't love a pork stew? Just about everyone, it seems. However, we found ourselves with a little more pork than we had ordered when our butcher asked one of his team to put together a recent order and we had more than five kilos of leg rather than the two we wanted for our Christmas ham (thanks, Jamie). It's very good pork, though, and anyone in or around Norwich in need of excellent pork products (other meats are available) should pop into Archers Butchers on Plumstead Road.

I used only very lean pieces of pork for this. Anything else went through the mincer to be blended with some venison for making ragu, burgers etc. It cooks more quickly as well, especially if the chunks are not overly large - this isn't a boeuf bourguignon so about an inch cubed is about right. About two hours once everything is in the pot then let it cool overnight before reheating it the following day. The quantities are for four portions.

First, fry up fairly finely chopped pancetta (50-100g) or similar on a high heat, remove it and set aside before browning 500-600g diced pork. Set it aside with the ham, reduce the heat to medium then add grated (medium thickness, not as thick as you would grate cheddar for a baked potato) 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 sticks of celery and 2 cloves of garlic (this can simply be crushed - it's easier). When these are softened, which should only take a couple of minutes since they were quite finely grated in the first place, add 1 tsp umami paste (use 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tsp marmite, 4 anchovies and some garlic and tomato purée for padding - keep any unused paste in a jar in the fridge - it's extremely useful for stews), stir it in then add 1 tsp rice flour/cornflour and cook it in for a minute of so.

Now for the magic ingredient: sherry vinegar. A couple of tablespoons should do the job, then about half a bottle of white wine with the heat back on full. Let this cook off the alcohol for a couple of minutes then add a litre or so of chicken stock and, when it is all bubbling away, return the meat to the pan, turn the heat down to a simmer and leave it to cook for around two hours. Take it off the heat and leave it to infuse overnight.

To serve
Spelt proved a good companion, cooled in a way recommended by Locatelli in his Made in Italy book. Soak 200g spelt for at least 20 minutes (or overnight) then boil a pan of water, add the spelt, now drained and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain off the water and spread the spelt out on a plate, pour over 2 tbs olive oil and stir it around. You may need to stir it again a few times to ensure it doesn't stick. When it is time to eat, add the spelt to a hot non-stick pan and stir it around until it is hot again and, in places, a bit crispy. Season with salt and pepper and you are ready to serve it.

Alongside the spelt, we had some oven roasted kale - the bitterness offsets the sweetness and some sprouts which had been sliced and shallow fried with some pancetta and thin rounds of leek. Finally, because Christmas is around the corner, we had a go at making some home made Paxo-style stuffing balls with panko crumbs, caramelised onions, sage, egg, salt and pepper and, to make it rather more interesting, a little roasted squash. Next time, I'll take a photo and post it.

Wine

The stew has an almost sweet and sour flavour thanks to the sherry vinegar so with a group of friends we tested some of Southern Rhône reds from Château Juvenal alongside wines from Puglia, in particular those from Tenute Rubino in Brindisi. The Susumaniello "Oltremé" has a hint of the same cigar box that Cabernet Franc often hangs out in. This, with the grape's natural sweetness, makes it an excellent food wine, especially for something like this. If you prefer more oomph, Juvenal's Perseides is a real winter warmer. Our old-vine Grenache left alone to express itself wonderfully.