Bowl of Pork Stew Somerset
(click to enlarge)

Pork Stew Somerset


England
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8-1/2 cup
***
3-1/4 hrs
Yes		 This is an excellent stew with plenty of beans and vegetables, intensely flavored by herbs and Pork Belly. It's a good recipe for making ahead for a party. For buffet, stir in the Parsley just before setting out.





1-1/3
1-1/4
6
5
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1/8
1
4
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1
2-1/2
1-1/4
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1/2
1/3
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ar
c
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oz
oz
oz
oz
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t
T

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T
c
c
T
T
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White Beans (1)  
Pork Belly (2)
Onions
Celery
Carrots
Leeks (3)
-- Herb mix
Cloves, ground
Thyme, Fresh
Sage Leaves
---------
Olive Oil
Stock (4)
Hard Cider
Honey
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnish
Parsley, flat
Do-Ahead   -   (9-1/2 hrs - 10 min work)
  1. IF using dried BEANS, soak overnight or 8 hours with 1 T Salt. Drain and rinse.
  2. Cook Beans with water to cover until tender, but not falling apart - about 1-1/4 hours. Drain.
Prep   -   (50 min)
  1. Remove rind from PORK BELLY and cut into about 3/4 inch cubes, or, if sliced, about 1 inch squares by the thickness of the slices.
  2. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice crosswise about 1/8 inch. Slice CELERY about 1/8 inch thick. Mix.
  3. Slice CARROTS about 1/4 inch thick. If very large, split in half before slicing. Slice LEEKS (white and light green) about 1/8 inch. Mix.
  4. Grind CLOVES. Strip THYME LEAVES from stems. Chop SAGE LEAVES fine. Mix all. Actually, I just toss in Thyme Sprigs and fish the stems out after the leaves fall off.
  5. Chop PARSLEY medium for Garnish.
Run   -   (2-1/4 hrs)
  1. Heat Olive Oil in a heavy bottomed coverable pan (a 3-1/2 quart sauté pan is adequate for 1 recipe, but 1-1/2 recipes will need a 5 quart sauté) and fry Pork Belly, stirring often, until lightly browned on all sides. Not too dark or it will be stiff.
  2. At this point you will have a whole lot more fat in the pan than you want. Pour off the excess, keeping around 1/2 tablespoon. See also Note-5.
  3. Stir in Onion mix and fry stirring until onions are translucent.
  4. Stir in Stock, Cider, Honey and Herb mix. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and simmer about 1 hour.
  5. Stir Carrot mix and simmer another 15 minutes.
  6. Stir Beans and simmer another 10 minutes.
  7. Adjust liquid if needed. Season to taste with Salt and Pepper. Simmer another 3 minutes.
  8. Serve hot, garnished with Parsley.
NOTES:

  1. White Beans:

      Great Northern are what we usually use, but smaller beans would still be OK. If using canned beans, use 2 14 ounce cans, drained.

  2. Pork Belly:

      Weight is without rind or bones. Use a fairly lean Pork Belly if you can. Pork Belly is the layer cut away from Pork Spare Ribs, and sometimes called "uncured bacon". It is easily available in Asian markets, and has been infiltrating other ethnic markets as well. For details see our Pork Belly page.

  3. Leeks:

      Weight is for just the white and light green part. You will need to start with about 8 ounces. For prep method see our Leeks page.

  4. Stock:

      Pork or Chicken stock can be used.

  5. Fat:

      It is possible, with this recipe, to end up with more fat than you want. Fix it this way. Let the stew settle well in its sauté pan. Scoop the top 3/4 inch or so into a separate pan. Add enough water so it's quite liquid. Bring it up to a bare simmer, then turn off the heat and allow it to settle awhile. Strain, reserving the liquid and returning the solids to the sauté pan. Pour the liquid into your gravy separator and let it rest until the fat is all at the top. Decant the liquid back into the sauté pan, discarding the fat.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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