Celebrate spring with an easy, light supper! Braised pork with spring veggies is easy and tasty. And best of all, once the pork is in the oven, your work is pretty much done. What could be better?
Let’s get cooking!
The Prep
Cut a pork shoulder into 2 inch cubes. We generally plan on 1/2 lbs per person. Pat dry and liberally salt and pepper.
Wash and slice a leek.
Wash, peel and dice two carrots.
Wash 1/2 lb asparagus. Slice in 1 inch lengths. Separate the tips from the spears.
Clean and quarter 1 lb of mushrooms.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
You are mised out!
The Assembly
In a large dutch oven, melt one tbsp of butter in 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat.
Brown the pork in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan.
When the last of the pork has been browned, poor off any excess fat. Add 1C dry white wine and deglaze the pan.
Return the pork to the pan. Add 2C chicken stock and 1/2 tsp French thyme. The liquid should just cover the pork.
Put a lid on the dutch oven and place in the lower third of the oven. Cook 4 hours.
While the pork is roasting, sauté the mushrooms in a bit of oil and butter. Give them a hit of lemon and salt. Set aside.
The Payoff
Remove the pot from the oven.
Degrease. Taste for flavor and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
Add the carrots, leeks, mushrooms and asparagus spears. Return the pot to the oven for 30 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook in the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but firm.
Serve in shallow bowls. A crunchy baguette completes the meal. Or, for a bit more hardy (or gluten-free) supper, you can replace the bread with mashed potatoes.
A dry white wine goes well with this dish.
