BRAISED PORK WITH FUYU PERSIMMON

Braised Pork with Fuyu Persimmon image

Yield Makes 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

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2 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups water
4 plum tomatoes (3/4 pounds total), peeled (see cooks' note, below) and chopped, or 1 (14- to 16-oz) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 pounds firm-ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled, seeded if necessary, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup chopped scallion greens
Accompaniment: cooked white rice

Steps:

Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat pork dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wide 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork in 3 batches, turning, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl as browned. (Add more oil to pot as needed between batches.)
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add pork with any juices accumulated in bowl, water, and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
Cover pot, then transfer to oven and braise pork until very tender, about 1 3/4 hours.
Scatter persimmons over pork and braise in oven, partially covered, 10 minutes more. Stir in scallion greens and salt and pepper to taste.