Pork shoulder and chorizo stew with sherry, crackling and crispy capers

Pork shoulder and chorizo stew

Ingredients :

• 1 large fennel bulb, root removed, thickly sliced
• 1kg carrots, thickly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2kg British free-range pork
• shoulder joint
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 200g cooking chorizo, chopped 
• 400ml light dry sherry, such as fino, plus an extra splash to taste
• 1 litre good quality chicken stock
• 5 fresh thyme sprigs
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp salt

FOR THE GARNISH

• tbsp olive oil
• 40g capers, drained
• Large handful fresh parsley,
• roughly chopped

Method :

Heat a glug of oil in a large, deep, flameproof lidded casserole, add the fennel and carrots and cook on a high heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have a little colour. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then remove all the veg from the pan and set aside.

Remove the skin from the pork using a sharp knife and reserve. Chop the meat into 4 large pieces and coat in the flour. Add a little more oil to the casserole, add the pork and chorizo, turn up the heat, then cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the sherry. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the chicken stock, thyme, chickpeas and reserved vegetables. Put the lid on the casserole and cook over a low heat for 3 hours, stirring and turning the meat occasionally.

For the last hour of the cooking time, heat the oven to 220°C/ fan200°C/gas 7. Pat dry the reserved pork skin and score it diagonally with a sharp knife – make the scores quite close together for maximum crispiness. Rub 2 tbsp salt into the scores and all over the skin. Put it on a wire rack set in a roasting tray, then roast for 30 minutes until crackled, puffed and golden. Set aside.

When the meat is super-tender, skim off the excess fat from the surface of the stew. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside, then turn up the heat to high and reduce the stock for 35-40 minutes until it has the consistency of gravy. Break up the meat with 2 forks and stir it though the reduced sauce. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then stir in a good splash of dry sherry.

For the garnish, heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium frying pan, then fry the capers for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove, cool slightly, then mix with the chopped parsley.

Serve the pork sprinkled with the crispy capers and parsley mixture, and strips of crackling, with some crusty bread on the side for mopping up the sauce.