Pot-Roasted Pork with Madeira

Serve this for a special occasion. A hand of pork is richly flavored and tender cooked with vegetables and fruity Madeira wine. Recipe serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 hand of pork, skinned and boned
2 ounces (60 g) butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
4 sticks celery, finely chopped
4 ounces (125 g) mushrooms, finely sliced (including stalks)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup Madeira
Chopped parsley, to garnish

Method:

1. Ask the butcher to skin and bone the hand of pork. Remove any fat from the pork. Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan or flameproof casserole and add the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat until the vegetables are soft but not brown, stirring often. Place the pork on top of the vegetables, add the thyme and bay leaf to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the Madeira, cover tightly, and cook over a low heat for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
2. Remove the meat and keep warm. Discard the bay leaf and puree the sauce and vegetables in a blender, or push through a sieve. Slice the meat and arrange on a heated platter. Reheat the sauce to boiling, taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary, and pour over the meat. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Note: Tiny new potatoes steamed in their skins would be good with this, or your family might like buttered rice or noodles.