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This is the ideal dish for a cold winter night, and the kitchen will be filled with the fragrance of the simmering meat as it cooks. Be sure to use a shoulder, not a leaner cut, as the shoulder is meaty and tough, full of the connective tissue that, with long, slow oven-cooking, dissolves to create the thick sauce and spoon-tender meat that gives the dish its character. Serve with a favorite pasta and lots of bread to soak up the sauce.
Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F.
2 1/2 to 3 pound piece of pork shoulder, also called picnic ham, cut into 2-iinch thick pieces
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, white and pale green parts, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, quartered
1/3 bottle dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
Dry the pork pieces well, and season them with the salt and pepper. In a heavy bottomed casserole or Dutch oven, combine the olive oil and butter and melt over medium high heat.
When it has melted, increase the heat and brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, on all sides. Remove to a bowl and continue until all the meat is browned.
To the fat in the pan, add the onion, leeks, and carrots. Sauté for a few minutes until the edges of the onion start to brown.
Pour in the wine and scrape up any bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Return the meat and the juices that have collected in the bowl to the pan, then stir in a teaspoon of the fresh rosemary.
Cover the pan and put it in the oven. Cook the pork, stirring from time to time, until it is tender enough to cut with a spoon and some of the pieces are slightly ragged. This will take about 3 hours.
To finish, remove the carrots and discard them, because they have given up their flavor to the sauce. Stir in a heaping tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard and the remaining rosemary.
Serves 4 to 6.
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