Pork Stew with Sweet & Hot Peppers from the Abruzzo

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boston butt pork shoulder boneless cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 28 ounce canned tomatoes with juice crushed canned
• 1  chile pepper fresh hot as needed plus more chopped (jalapño or serrano)
• 1 cup cooking wine dry red
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds crushed toasted
• 5  garlic cloves minced
• 6 tablespoons olive oil as needed
• 2 large bell peppers red cut into large dice
• 6 servings salt and pepper black freshly ground
• 1 large onion yellow finely chopped

Equipment

• frying pan
• slotted spoon
• tajine pot

Directions

1. In a skillet or large sauté pan, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over high heat. Working in batches, brown the pork on all sides, adding more olive oil,l as needed and seasoning with salt and black pepper as you turn the meat. Each batch should take 8 to 10 minutes. When a batch is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pieces to the tagine. Deglaze the pan with about one-half the wine and pour the juices over the meat.
2. In a skillet or sauté pan, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. Sauté for about 10 minutes, until very soft.
3. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, and chile pepper and cook for 3 minutes longer.
4. Add the remaining wine and the tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors.
5. Transfer the sauce to the tagine along with the pork and its juices.
6. Add the bell peppers, raise the heat to medium, and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the pork is meltingly tender.
7. Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning. You can add a few spoonfuls of vinegar for balance.
8. From The Tagine Deck: 25 Recipes for Slow-Cooked Meals by Joyce Goldstein. Text © 2008 by Joyce Goldstein; photograph © 2008 Leigh Beisch. Reprinted with permission by Chronicle Books.