Traditional pork in red wine with Old Winchester polenta - recipe

A stew for all occasions, this traditional pork in red wine with Old Winchester polenta will see you from midweek supper to dinner party showstopper

Ingredients (serves 8)

• 200g smoked bacon lardons

• 1 kg pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm cubes

• 750ml red wine

• 250ml chicken stock

• 2 tbsp concentrated tomato puree

• 1 orange, zest finely grated

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 long rosemary sprig

• 1 large red onion, quartered and sliced

• 2 large carrots, quartered lengthways and chopped

• 3 celery sticks, halved lengthways and chopped

• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• A small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

For the polenta:

• 500ml whole milk

• 600g quick cook polenta

• 100g butter, cubed

• 150g Old Winchester, grated

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 150⁰C (130 fan) / gas 2. Heat a large frying pan and fry the lardons in a little rapeseed or olive oil until golden, then remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Season the pork liberally with salt and pepper then sear in batches in the bacon fat until nicely browned all over. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan, and transfer them to the bacon bowl when they’re ready.

2 Meanwhile, bring the wine, stock and tomato puree to a boil in a large cast iron casserole dish to evaporate some of the alcohol. After 5 minutes, add the orange zest, cinnamon, bay leaves and rosemary and reduce the heat to a simmer.

3 When the pork has all been seared, fry the onion over a lower heat, adding a little more oil if necessary. When it’s softened and golden, transfer to the pork bowl and add the carrot and celery to the pan. When the vegetables start to soften and colour at the edges, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, being careful not to colour it.

4 Scrape the vegetables into the casserole dish and add the contents of the pork bowl. If there are any tasty stuck-on bits in the frying pan, deglaze with a splash of water and add that to the casserole too.

5 Bring the pan back to a simmer, then add a layer of damp crumpled greaseproof paper and a lid. Transfer to the oven and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid for the final hour. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed, then stir through the parsley.

6 To cook the polenta, pour the milk into a large saucepan with 1.9 litres of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring to the boil, then add the polenta in a thin stream, stirring all the time. Return to the boil, then beat the mixture over a low heat for 8 minutes or according to the packet instructions. Take the pan off the heat and beat in the butter and cheese, then serve immediately.

Find it in Hampshire

• Pork and bacon - Beechcroft Farm, Winchester, 01962 868214; beechcroftdirect.co.uk

• Wild boar - New Forest Wild Boar, Lyndhurst, 01794 322971

• Old Winchester - Lyburn Farmhouse, Landford, 01794 399982; lyburncheese.co.uk

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