Braised pork cheeks and chorizo with porto branco and broad beans

Serves 4

Pork cheeks are one of the best cuts you can buy for braising. Ask your butcher to order them in advance or use pieces of pork neck as an alternative. Use cooking chorizo for this and not the slicing chorizo (Brindisa, the Spanish food specialists in London's Borough Market, sell fantastic cooking chorizo – see
brindisa.com).

800g pork cheeks, cut into about 3cm chunks
2tbsp flour, plus extra for dusting
Vegetable or corn oil for frying
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
60g butter plus a couple of extra knobs for the broad beans
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and finely chopped
1tsp tomato purée
1.5ltrs hot beef stock
200ml white port
A couple of sprigs of thyme
150g cooking chorizo
250g podded weight of broad beans
1tbsp chopped parsley

Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a medium heat. Season and lightly flour the pork cheeks and fry in a couple of batches until they are a nice brown colour.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan and gently cook the garlic and shallots on a low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring every so often until softened. Stir in the flour and continue cooking and stirring on a medium heat for a minute. Add the tomato purée and gradually whisk in the hot stock and white port. Add the thyme and pork, season, bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook on a low heat for 1 hour. Cut the chorizo into rough 1cm chunks or if using small ones then leave them whole.

Heat a heavy frying pan and cook the chorizo on a medium heat for a few minutes, lightly colouring them, then drain any fat away and pat with some kitchen paper and add to the stew. Re-season if necessary and continue simmering gently for about 30 minutes or until the pork is tender.

Meanwhile, cook the broad beans in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until tender, then drain and run briefly under the cold tap. Some large broad beans may need the outer shells removing. Heat the extra butter in a pan and re-heat the broad beans and parsley and season. To serve, spoon the pork and sauce into warmed serving bowls and scatter the beans over.