Braised Pork With Prunes and Orange

Name: Braised Pork With Prunes and Orange
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: French, European, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3pounds boneless, skinless pork shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into 2- to 3-inch chunks; 1tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning; Black pepper; 2tablespoons unsalted butter; 2tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 large shallots, chopped; 2tablespoons all-purpose flour; ½ cup sherry vinegar; ½cup dry red wine; 1½cups chicken broth; 2sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1orange, for 2 (3- to 4-inch) strips orange zest plus peeled, chopped orange segments, for topping, optional; 1½tablespoons packed light brown sugar; 5½ ounces prunes (about 1 cup); ⅓cup chopped parsley

4 steps

Prep:15minCook:1h 30min

This tart-sweet braise is inspired by porc aux pruneaux, a classic French dish, which usually involves soaking prunes in tawny port before adding them to a sauce for pork. Here, the prunes are soaked in a mix of vinegar and brown sugar, a more economical way to amplify their mellow sweet-sour flavor. (But by all means use tawny port instead of the vinegar-sugar combo if you like!) This one-pot version is fragrant with orange and contains an assertive amount of sherry vinegar to balance the richness of the pork and dried fruit. Serve the pork and sauce over polenta or with seeded bread.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 04:04:30 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Unbalanced

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

Low

Nutrition per serving

Calories472.5 kcal (24%)

Total Fat27.5 g (39%)

Carbs19.8 g (8%)

Sugars10.7 g (12%)

Protein30.9 g (62%)

Sodium973.5 mg (49%)

Fiber1.8 g (7%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

8 servings

3 poundsboneless skinless pork shoulder

fat trimmed, cut into 2- to 3-inch chunks

1 tablespoonkosher salt

plus more for seasoning

black pepper

2 tablespoonsunsalted butter

2 tablespoonsvegetable oil

2shallots

large, chopped

2 tablespoonsall-purpose flour

½ cupsherry vinegar

½ cupdry red wine

1 ½ cupschicken broth

2 sprigsfresh thyme

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1orange

for 2, 3- to 4-inch strips orange zest, plus peeled, chopped orange segments, for topping, optional

1 ½ tablespoonslight brown sugar

packed

1 cupprunes

⅓ cupparsley

chopped

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the pork all over with the salt and several generous grinds of black pepper. Melt the butter with the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add half the pork chunks, spread them out, and let them brown on one side without moving them for 5 minutes. (If the pan starts to burn, reduce the heat to medium-high.) Remove the pork to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork. (You can sear the pork on more than one side, but doing it on one side saves time and is enough to build flavor and texture.)

Step 2

Reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to evenly combine, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup of the sherry vinegar and the red wine; bring to a simmer, scraping up any bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, thyme and orange zest strips. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Stir in the pork and any juices on the plate. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and braise in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile stir together the remaining ¼ cup sherry vinegar, the brown sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the prunes and set aside.

Step 4

Uncover the pork and add the prunes and their soaking liquid. Let the dish cook another 40 to 50 minutes, until the pork is very tender and the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, then stir in the parsley. Serve topped with chopped orange segments, if desired.