A wonderful, succulent dish of pork braised slowly in red wine (bekri means drunken) enjoyed with just some crusty bread or with accompaniments as I have done here for a more complete meal. Avoid using leaner parts of the animal for this dish.
I cooked the carrots in carrot juice which gives them extra flavour and sweetness and the crushed new potatoes with the extra virgin olive oil and finely chopped spring onions running through them are a great pairing for this succulent, rich pork dish.
Traditionally, no vegetables are added to the pork but common accompaniments in the pan are peppers and in this case I used dry shiitake mushrooms.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the pork
- A piece of pork shoulder or neck fillet approx. 700g
- 50g dried mushrooms
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 200ml dry red wine
- 1 lemon, juice and zest
- 2 bay leaves
- 4-5 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
For the crushed potatoes
- 450g small new potatoes
- 3-4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil
For the carrots
- 750 – 800g carrots
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp of ground coriander
- A few coriander leaves, finely chopped
Method
If you are using dried mushrooms, soak these in some boiling water for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
Dry the meat well with kitchen paper and cut into bite size chunks. Bring a large frying pan (use one with a lid) onto high heat and add the olive oi. When it is smoking add the pork and using tongues spread in a single layer. Brown well all round. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard , bay leaves, thyme and oregano, mushrooms (cut them at this point if you want) and their water. Sprinkle with the bouillon and top up with hot water to cover the meat. Bring the casserole to the boil, lower the heat to low, cover and cook slowly till all the liquid has evaporated and you have very little sauce left. This should take 50-60 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper and give it all a good stir.
While the pork is cooking, chop half the carrots roughly and juice. Slice the other half thinly. Bring the carrot juice to a soft boil in a small saucepan, add the carrot slices, reduce the heat, cover the pan and cook till the juice has been absorbed and the carrots are soft. If necessary, add some water. Season with salt, pepper, the dried coriander and mustard seeds and add the olive oil. Stir to coat.
Wash the new potatoes and cover with cold water in a saucepan. Cook till soft, approx. 20 minutes. Drain the water and using a fork break the potatoes up. Add the olive oil, sliced onions and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the potatoes a good stir.
When serving, feel free to drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the finely chopped coriander.