‘Tis the season for a nice, comforting meal. The other week, after catching the movie Julie and Julia a flight back to Calgary, I was inspired by Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon. The recipe is a focal point of the film and the dish itself definitely requires a bit of love and attention, but mostly time. After watching the dish unfold onscreen I thought to myself, “Why not use some delicious pork shoulder in there instead?”

Needless to say, that’s exactly what I did and to some delicious results. I made this pork stew in a large pot on the stove, but it would work just a well in a slow cooker.

What you’ll need…

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 boneless pork shoulder (3-4 lb, cut into 1″ cubes)

1 yellow onion (diced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 leeks (trimmed, halved and thinly sliced)

3 carrots (halved and thinly sliced)

3 red potatoes (1/2″ cubed)

4 stalks celery (thinly sliced)

1 bottle red wine

3 cups water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot on medium-high heat. Working in several batches, add cubed pork shoulder to brown on all sides, then remove from pot and let rest to side the side for now.

Add onions and garlic to the pot, add red wine vinegar and scrap bottom of pot with a wooden spoon to help deglaze. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Next, place the leeks in the pot and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.

Return pork meat to pot along with remaining ingredients. Bring pot to a simmer, reduce to low heat, cover and let cook until meat is fork tender, approximately 2 1/2-3 hours.

Once meat is tender, remove lid and let stew cook until liquid reduces by 1/4, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

Serves 5-6

Total cook time…3 hours, 30 minutes