Braised Aljomar Iberico Pork Cheeks

Ingredients

• 3 kg Aljomar Iberico pork cheeks
• 1 kg white onion
• 1 kg red onion
• 200 g carrots
• 150 g leeks (white part)
• 150 g green pepper
• 50 g fresh sprig of parsley
• 75 ml fragrant dry sherry
• 125 ml white wine
• 300 g ‘tomate frito’ *
• 175 g roasted red ‘piquillo’ peppers
• 3 l poultry stock
• 4 l water
• 75 g ‘choricero’ pepper paste*
• Olive oil

Method

Cut pork cheeks into 4 cm x 3cm pieces. Sprinkle with salt. Sauté both sides with oil over high heat. Remove from heat, place cheeks on dish and set aside.

In the same skillet, simmer the chopped vegetables and sprig of parsley in olive oil for about 1 hour.  Add sherry and white wine, allowing to evaporate. Add tomate frito and peppers, and heat for 15 minutes. Add stock, water and choricero pepper paste. Cook together for 30 minutes. Purée sauce in a blender and press through a fine sieve.

Return sauce to saucepan, add cooked pork cheeks. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 4 hours.

If the meat is stewed but the sauce has not thickened, remove the meat and reduce the sauce over low heat. Once the sauce has thickened, return the meat to the saucepan. Check seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste. Ready!

·         * In Spanish cooking, this refers to a type of thick and smooth tomato purée made with tomatoes, sunflower oil, onions, garlic, spices and sugar. Heinz tomato frito is available in some UK stores. Passata may be used as a substitute.

·         ** In Spanish cooking, this refers to a type of sundried red pepper which has been rehydrated. The flesh is removed and made into a paste.