Pork and olive stew

THIS one is based round an old Delia Smith recipe for Spanish pork with olives.

Daring to change the original, I added a chilli, some smoked paprika and butter beans. Pulses and beans, dried or tinned, are a good way to pad out a meat stew, as well as being great ingredients in their own right. I adapted this for the slow cooker, but 90 minutes or so in a medium oven would do the job too.

Ingredients:

900g/2lb pork shoulder, cubed
Olive oil
Two onions, sliced
Tablespoon plain flour
400 tin of chopped tomatoes
Squirt of tomato purée
Glass of red wine
Two garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Two red peppers, chopped
One small fresh red chilli, diced
50g Pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced
Generous teaspoon of smoked paprika (or more to taste)
Sea salt and pepper.

Method:

First fry the cubes of meat in olive oil in small batches in a casserole, browning the pieces nicely, then place in the slow cooker.

Fry the onions in more oil if needed, gently for ten minutes or so, adding the garlic towards the end, then tip in with the meat, adding the smoked paprika, wine, sliced olives, salt and pepper and flour, giving everything a good stir.

Then add the tomatoes and tomato purée and stir again. Cook overnight on the lowest setting.

Taste in the morning. Tip contents into a large pan and heat slowly, gently reducing any excess liquid (slow cookers do produce a lot of liquid).

Add the drained and rinsed tins of beans and cook through a little more. Serve with mash and green vegetables.

Tip: For the veg, try this. Boil cabbage until just tender, melt butter in a pan, gently fry cumin seeds and then tip in the cooked cabbage to warm through.

Twitter: @JulianCole5