Ok, so I know it´s summer here and hot, hot, hot…but I just fancied it! Our local “Big” Supermarket (ie. a 50km drive away) has started selling pork shanks. It´s a cheap cut of meat but oh so tasty. I bought two to cook, but in the end we still have one portion of this dish in the freezer as there was so much meat on each shank.
It´s a slow cook dish, you can be a bit cavalier with the ingredients depending on how saucy you like your finished dish. It was so tender by the time it was done, the meat fell off the bones as I served it. This makes for a less artistic food photo, but two very happy pups!
To make the dish I used:
- About a cup and a half of borlotti beans which I soaked overnight (but you could use tinned)
- Two cups of tomato sauce (crushed tomatoes cooked slowly with garlic, red wine, seasoning and rosemary until thickened)
- Two pork shanks
- Two large sprigs of rosemary
- A large dried chili
- Approx two cups of water (enough to cover the pork and beans)
- Four slices of smoked bacon, diced
- Salt and pepper
- Three large cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
To finish the dish
- Half a cup of finely chopped bobby beans
- Four small potatoes, diced
Put all the first list of ingredients into a large pot with a lid and cook very slowly for about four hours (or longer) in a low oven. If you have time, it´s best left overnight before eating to allow the flavours to really develop. When I was ready to serve I heated the dish up and simmered for about 20 minutes to allow it to thicken a little then I added the beans and potato and cooked them until tender.
Definitely a dish to eat with a lovely glass of red wine, lots of crusty bread and a big spoon. Have a sofa handy for reclining afterwards, a siesta is now in order!
Chica Andaluza 