Since it’s still January, I’ll talk about New Year’s resolutions; one that is perennially on my list is to have friends over to share a meal more often. Normally, since I live on my own, I end up eating leftovers several days in a row — much more fun to eat with friends!
This savory pork stew (formally known as Ragout de Porc, Chasseur) is from From Julia Child’s Kitchen and is one of my favorite “company” dishes. It isn’t overly fussy, doesn’t require ingredients that I can’t find here in flyover country, and can be done ahead and reheated.
Pork Ragout (Ragout de Porc, Chasseur)
- 2.5 pounds boneless pork, cut into roughly 1.5 inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon thyme or Italian herb blend
- 2 or 3 large cloves garlic, pureed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-½ to 2 cups thinly sliced onion
- 7/8 cup dry white wine, divided
- 3 to 4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced and chopped (or 28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, drained & chopped)
- 2 cups (1 pint) fresh mushrooms (cleaned, trimmed & quartered)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- (1 to 2 tablespoons cornstarch, if needed)
- (¼ cup heavy cream, if desired)
- noodles, rice or potatoes for serving
- fresh parsley for garnish, if you want to get fancy
Toss meat with salt, allspice, thyme and garlic (Note: I tend to be generous with my herb and spice measurements); marinate, covered, in refrigerator for 20 minutes to 2 days, turning occasionally. Pour off any exuded juices and blot meat dry on paper towel. Heat oil in large skillet and brown meat in a single layer on all sides.
Remove fat, add onion and sauté until onion is browned. (Note: my skillet won’t hold all the meat and onions, so I brown the two separately, then transfer to a dutch oven.) Remove meat and onion and deglaze skillet with ½ cup wine.
Return meat and onion to skillet (or pour deglazing liquid into dutch oven) and add tomatoes and any marinade juices. Simmer slowly for 1 to 1.5 hours (or place in ovenproof dish in 325F oven), stirring every 15 minutes.
While stew is cooking, put mushrooms, lemon juice, butter and ¼ cup wine in saucepan; simmer, covered, about 3 minutes or until mushrooms exude their juices. Pour juices into stew and reserve mushrooms.
When stew is finished, skim fat off; if juices have not thickened naturally, combine cornstarch with 1 to 2 tablespoons wine, add a little hot juice from stew and return to stew along with mushrooms, stirring until thickened. Add cream if desired; serve over noodles, rice or potatoes and garnish with parsley. Serve with a green salad, crusty bread, and seasonal dessert.
Notes: Stew can be made up to 48 hours in advance (including marinating time) and reheated before serving. Would probably also freeze without the cream in it.
What’s for dinner in your neck of the woods? And what are your go-to dishes when company comes over?
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