Meat mains
Puerco de la Costa
In Mexico there are whole genres of pork and pineapple recipes that go under the name of puerco de la costa ('pork in the coastal style'). Try adding some cooked lentils when you put in the sweet potato if you want to bulk this out, or serve with rice. Alternatively, cook off a little more liquid and this makes a fantastic filling for tacos or tortillas.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 300g diced pork
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 garlic clove
- pinch smoked paprika
- 2 onions, finely sliced
- 600ml stock
- 2 tomatoes, peeled
- 2 small sweet potatoes, diced
- 250g fresh pineapple, chopped
- fresh coriander, chopped, to serve
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
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Step 2
Heat the oil and sauté the pork until brown, then transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the sugar on the pork and gently cook, stirring constantly, until it has melted.
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Step 3
Add the flour, season with salt and pepper and continue to stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Set aside. Grind the coriander, garlic and paprika together in a pestle and mortar.
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Step 4
Reheat the oil in the frying pan and cook the onion until transparent and soft. Add the stock, ground spices and tomato and simmer for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate anything that's stuck.
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Step 5
Add the pork to the casserole, bring to a simmer and bake in the oven for an hour.
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Step 6
Meanwhile, put the sweet potato in a saucepan, cover with water and simmer until al dente.
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Step 7
Add the pineapple and sweet potato to the casserole, gently stir in and return to the oven until everything is tender - if it looks a bit too liquid, then take the lid off – if it is too dry add more water. Serve with rice and some chopped coriander.
