Ingredients

1kg Iberico pork cheeks

3 tbsp plain flour

Olive oil

3 banana shallots, peeled and finely chopped

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces

3 celery stalks, sliced

1 medium leek, cleaned and sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

70g tomato puree

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

Zest from ½ orange

3 tbsp Amontillado sherry

1 bouquet garni (1 sprig of rosemary, 2 sprigs of sage, 5 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf)

400ml red wine

500ml beef stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150 C (see Tips).

2. Season the pork cheeks and toss in the flour. Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan on a high heat and brown the cheeks in batches. Remove to a bowl.

3. Turn the heat to medium and add a little more oil if needed. Add the shallots, carrots, celery, leek and garlic and cook gently for 10 minutes, until softened.

4. Add the tomato puree, cumin, paprika and orange zest and cook for 5 minutes.

5. Pour in the sherry to deglaze the pan. Add the herbs, wine and stock and bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pan and cook in the oven for 2 ½ hours or until the cheeks are meltingly tender.

6. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat and vegetables and reduce the sauce until slightly thickened. Either serve the meat with the sauce, or with all the vegetables for a more rustic dish.

   Serves 8

Tips

You can also pressure cook the dish on high for 20 mins (from step 5), with natural pressure release.

Sprinkle with smoked almonds and serve with butterbean mash or olive oil mashed potatoes.

Total time: 3 hours and 30 mins

Cooking time: 3 hours (or 50 mins using pressure cooker).