Recipe for Sweet and sour pork with prunes, raisins and pine nuts

Jo Bettoja, whose food I adore, served us this rich sweet and sour stew in her home in Rome.

It’s an old family recipe for wild boar that has been passed down through the generations. I loved the rich gutsy flavour so she kindly shared her recipe.

1.7kg (4lb) boneless shoulder or leg of pork

Marinade: 6 juniper berries

10 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

½ tsp thyme leaves

1 carrot chopped

1 onion chopped

1 stick of celery, chopped

725ml (24 fl oz) or more dry red wine

50ml (2 fl oz) red wine vinegar

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5 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt

180ml (6fl oz) red wine vinegar

Freshly ground pepper

36 prunes soaked in water

½ cup raisins, plumped in hot water

50g (1¾oz) pine nuts, toasted

2 tbsp sugar

40g (1½ oz) dark chocolate

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. Add the cubes of pork, stir well. Cover and marinate for 48 hours in the fridge. Stir every now and then during this period.

Drain the meat, reserve both the marinade and vegetables. Dry the meat on kitchen paper.

Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat. Brown the meat on all sides and then transfer to a casserole, season with salt. Add a little more oil to the pan, cook the marinated vegetables for five to eight minutes or until the onion is soft, add a few tablespoons of the marinade to prevent the vegetables from burning. Add to the meat in the casserole. Deglaze the pan with the rest of the marinade plus 2 fl oz of red wine vinegar, bring to the boil and scrape into the casserole.

Add ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, bring back to the boil, cover and cook in a preheated oven 160C°/325F/regulo 3 until the meat is tender, 1½ hours approximately.

Remove the meat to a bowl and strain the sauce into a saucepan, press the vegetables through the sieve to get the last of the juices. Add the prunes, raisins and pine nuts to the sauce.

In another small saucepan simmer 4 fl oz of red wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons of sugar for four minutes then add to the sauce with the grated chocolate and the meat. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Serve with soft polenta and follow with a good green salad.