Simple Pork Stew in Tomato Broth

 Inflation being what it is these days, meats have become more expensive. However, if you look hard, you'll find some good deals, such as pork stew meat. It goes for less than 3 dollars a pound at my regular food store, which is a darned good bargain, considering that the average pirice for beef stew meat is about 3 times as much as pork stew.

Here's an easy recipe that I serve regularly at home. It's cooked in chicken broth, sherry and tomato sauce and flavored with Worcestershire sauce and paprika. (Note: though I havne't tried this yet, it probably will work with cut-up chicken as well ifyou want a chicken stew instead.)

This recipe is based on the recipe at this link but cut in half and with some tweaks (for example, I add paprka and celery, and leave out potatoes as I'm not fond of boiled potatoes. But you can add some potatoes if you want.)

Serves 4 or more

Cooking Time: 1 or 1.25 hour (20-30 min active)

A large pot or Dutch oven with a lid is required for this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

1+ pound pork stew

salt and pepper

2-3 tablespoons cooking oil such as EVOO or canola oil

1/2 yellow or white onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 or 2 celery stalks, sliced

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tbsp paprka

1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (8 oz) plain tomato sauce

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

 

1) Heat oil in the pot over medium-high heat.

2) Season the pork with salt and pepper, and then sear them on all sides in the pot. Then put the pork aside on a large plate, keeping the grease in the pot. (Note: if any of the pork pieces are bigger than bite-size, you may want to cut them into smalle rpieces to make it easier to eat the meat without having to cut them up.)

3) Lower the heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme and paprika to the pot, and cook for several minutes, until the onion is translucent. Then add the pork back in.

4) Add sherry, broth and Worcestershire sauce, and stir for a minute or two, then bring it to a simer.

5) Once it's simmering, cover and cook for half an hour. If the carrots are soft, it's ready to eat.