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Misc: Saute' de Porc Catalane

Source of Recipe

Adapted from The Essential French Cookbook, edited by Heather Thomas


List of Ingredients

2/3 cup olive oil
1-½ pounds lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion or 3 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound tomatoes, skinned and chopped (to skin the tomatoes, see blanching, below * )
1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
½ red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 ½ tsp paprika
2/3 cup chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Eggplant:
1 eggplant, sliced
2-3 Tbs flour, seasoned with salt and pepper and dried basil

Steamed rice (optional)



Recipe


Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole. Add pork and sauté gently until golden brown on all sides, turning occasionally. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden. Return the meat to the pan, and stir in tomatoes, green pepper, red pepper, paprika, and stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and place them in a colander. Place a plate over the eggplant and put a heavy object on top of the plate to apply pressure to the eggplant. Leave the eggplant in the colander for at least 30 minutes to exude their bitter juice. Rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.

Dip the eggplant slices into seasoned flour. Heat some of the remaining oil in a large skillet. When it is hot, fry the eggplant slices, a few at a time, until they are golden brown on both sides. Add more oil as required. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat dry with paper towels. Serve the pork with the fried eggplant on the side and steamed rice if you like. Serves 4

* To blanch tomatoes: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Fill a bowl with ice water. Cut a small shallow “x” into the bottom of each tomato. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into ice water. Using the “x” as the starting point, peel tomatoes.