Red Wine-Braised Pork Cheeks
Recipe for braised pork cheeks with red wine, bacon and mushrooms.
Servings 4 people
Calories 582kcal
Ingredients
- 800 g pork cheeks – allow 2 per person
- 150 g bacon, diced
- 300 g button mushrooms, quartered
- 250 g shallots, halved
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 400 ml red wine
- 5-7 sprigs herbs – rosemary, thyme or similar
- 700 ml beef stock
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
- Mashed potatoes or rice
Instructions
- Trim the pork cheeks of any sinew and gristle.*Feel free to leave the large membrane on one side of the cheeks in place. That way they hold their shape better. The membrane disappears during cooking.
- Heat a large casserole or heavy-based pot and brown the pork cheeks in a good glug of oil. Brown them well on both sides and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.Set the pork cheeks aside.
- In the same pot, fry the bacon until golden, then add the mushrooms and fry them for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Add the shallots and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes, then add the butter and let it melt.
- Stir in the tomato purée and heat it through for a moment, then sprinkle over the flour.
- Stir to combine and return the pork cheeks to the pot, pour over the red wine and let it reduce for about 5 minutes.Stir as it cooks.
- Add the herb bundle to the pot and pour over the stock. Put the lid on and let the pork cheeks simmer gently, covered, for about 2 1/2-3 hours.Stir the stew a couple of times along the way.
- Remove the lid, add the carrots and let the cheeks simmer, uncovered, for a further 20-30 minutes or so, until the sauce thickens.Meanwhile, you can prepare your mashed potatoes, rice or whatever you want to serve with the pork cheeks.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and finally stir the parsley into the stew just before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 582kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 178mg | Sodium: 1274mg | Potassium: 1702mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 8231IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 3mg