The pork had a silken texture and I decided I preferred the pork over beef. The sauce was just piquant enough but not overpowering. This would be good enough for company with mashed potatoes or red beans and rice. Just make sure that the meat you buy has never been frozen. Frozen meat just doesn’t sear as well and doesn’t produce the fond in the skillet that gives this dish such great flavor.

Sue Kleber

Remove the meat when done and add the diced onion, carrot and celery. As the vegetables give up their juice scrape up the browned bits of flavor left in the pan during browning. When the onion is translucent, add the jalapeno pepper, the garlic and the tomato paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano and cumin and sauté for a minute. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover the pan and slowly cook over low flame for 90 minutes or until very tender. Check every so often and add water if necessary. The slow cooking can also be done in a 350 degree oven or in a crock pot.

Remove skin from roast and discard. Cut meat into fairly large 11/2 inch cubes, removing any excess fat. Coat cubes with the garlic salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Brown the cubes in the oil until you get a thick medium brown crust on all sides of the cubes. This careful browning process will give the dish its flavor but to deeply brown the cubes could take a good forty minutes.

Remove the meat when done and add the diced onion, carrot and celery. As the vegetables give up their juice scrape up the browned bits of flavor left in the pan during browning. When the onion is translucent, add the jalapeno pepper, the garlic and the tomato paste and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the thyme, oregano and cumin and sauté for a minute. Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover the pan and slowly cook over low flame for 90 minutes or until very tender. Check every so often and add water if necessary. The slow cooking can also be done in a 350 degree oven or in a crock pot.