BRAISED, SHREDDED PORK

BRAISED, SHREDDED PORK image

Yield 4 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 3/4 pound pork shoulder (Boston butt), fat trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, quartered
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs rosemary, divided in use
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained, or 2 cups fresh, cooked

Steps:

Put an oven rack in lower third of oven and heat to 350 degrees. Sprinkle pork liberally with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium Dutch oven or ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides. Remove pork from pot and set aside. In the pot, stir in garlic, celery, carrot, onion and tomato paste. Cook until onions are softened. Add parsley and 1 sprig of the rosemary. Chop remaining sprig of rosemary for garnish; set aside. Return meat to pot. Add chicken broth until it reaches halfway up the side and heat to a simmer. Transfer the pot to the oven and cook, covered, until fork tender, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove pork from pot. When it's cool enough to handle, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, removing as much fat as possible. Place 3 cups of the shredded pork in a medium saute pan. Stir in chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to use (moisten a little with a little of the braising juices, if necessary). Alternatively, make pork as many as two days ahead; reheat in saute pan, adding a little braising liquid if necessary. Use remaining shredded pork for barbecue-style sandwiches or as desired. To serve, place a scoop of pork and chickpea mixture in the center of each soup bowl. Pour soup (Potato & Leek Soup recipe) around center; garnish with chopped rosemary.