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Pork and Chorizo Stew with Root Vegetables

Easy One-Pot Casserole

Mar 11, 2009 Elizabeth Gregory

A delicious and nutritious winter casserole which makes the most of the natural sweetness of root vegetables such as turnips and carrots.

The following quantities serve two very generously, but will serve four if accompanied by something substantial like a baked potato.

Ingredients:

400g lean cubed pork
1 x 5 inch piece chorizo sausage
one large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic (optional)
3 medium turnips
3 medium carrots
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 dessertspoon vegetable bouillon powder, or a vegetable stock cube
1 heaped teaspoon pimenton (spiced paprika - use ordinary paprika if you can't get hold of pimenton)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees centrigrade.
Add the vegetable oil to a medium sized casserole dish with a lid, and place on the hob over a gentle heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes until the onion is starting to soften. Peel and finely chop the garlic, if using, and add to the pan along with the onion.
Turn the heat up and add the cubed pork to the pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes, turning the meat constantly to ensure it is browned on all sides. Meanwhile, slice the chorizo into thick chunks and add to the pan along with the pimenton.
Allow the chorizo to fry for a couple of minutes so that it starts to release its oils, and then add the tinned tomatoes along with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt, to taste.
Stir in the vegetable bouillon powder (or stock cube) and add 200ml hot water.
Put the lid on the casserole and place in the oven.
Meanwhile, peel the carrots and the turnips, and cut into dice-sized pieces. When the pork has been cooking for 45 minutes, add the vegetables to the casserole dish, and return to the oven for a further hour. Check on the casserole occasionally to make sure that the dish isn't becoming too dry as the vegetables soak up the liquid - if it does, simply add a little more water.
After a total cooking time of 1 hr 45 minutes, remove the casserole from the oven and test that the vegetables are soft by inserting a knife into one of the larger pieces. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as required.
If serving two, a simple accompaniment of a green vegetable such as sprouts or cabbage should be sufficient, although the dish can easily feed four if served with baked or mashed potato.

Variations: you can use any root vegetables for this dish, although the turnips and carrots work well as they bring a natural sweetness to the stew. Parsnips or sweet potatoes would be a suitable alternative.

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