PORK WITH PORT AND PRUNES

Pork With Port and Prunes image

This recipe is adapted from the Global Gourmet. I recently made it for a 'fancy' dinner (using a fresh ham instead of the Boston Butt called for) and we were all impressed.

Provided by evelynathens

Categories Pork

Time 1h20m

Yield 6-8 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 20

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 garlic cloves, minced very fine
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard, preferably Colman's
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (4 -6 lb) pork shoulder butt or 1 (4 -6 lb) fresh ham, trimmed of most external fat
2 cups white pearl onions (fresh or frozen, partially defrosted if frozen)
1 cup finely chopped leek (white part only)
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup port wine
1/2 cup beef stock or 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup pitted prune
1/4 cup armagnac, Slivovitz
plum brandy
2 bay leaves
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

Combine all dry rub ingredients together and rub meat the night before braising. Refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, until the next day.
Preheat the oven to 325°F Heat the oil over high heat in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven just large enough to hold the pork. Brown the pork on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot and add the pearl onions, leeks, and carrots. Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
Pour in the port, stock and honey and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the prunes, the optional brandy, and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Put the pork back in and spoon some of the prunes and vegetables over the top. Cover the pot with foil and fit the lid on tightly.
Place the pot in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1-1/2 hours, or until the pork is quite tender and registers 160° to 165°F on an instant-read meat thermometer. Remove the pork from the pot and cover loosely to keep warm. The final temperature of the meat after resting for 10 minutes or so may read 170° to 175°F.
Skim off any fat from the cooking juices. Remove 6 of the prunes and puree them in a food processor or blender. Stir the puree back into the sauce to thicken it. Remove the bay leaves and taste the sauce for salt and pepper. Remove the strings from the pork if necessary, and carve into 1/2-inch slices. Serve with the sauce and prunes and vegetables.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 922.5, Fat 57.3, SaturatedFat 17.9, Cholesterol 214.7, Sodium 852.8, Carbohydrate 35.6, Fiber 3.6, Sugar 20.1, Protein 55.4