Porc En Daube - French Pork Stew

Serve this with steamed potatoes, a green vegetable (glazed fennel is good); also make toasts from dry bread, and run garlic over the surface of the toasts. Put the meat and sauce over that.

• Ready In: 26 hrs
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  pork stew meat
• 4  garlic cloves, chopped
• 2  onions, roughly chopped
• 1  cup fresh thyme, still on the twigs
• 4  bay leaves
• 3  pints red wine
• 1  cup flour
•  salt
•  pepper

Directions

1. For the overnight marinade:
2. Put the pork pieces in a casserole with a lid.
3. Chop the onions roughly, and add half to the pot.
4. Put in 2 bay leaves and and distribute the twigs of thyme around the pot.
5. Pour 3/4 (about 1 1/2 pints) of a bottle of red wine (best option is an inexpensive fruity red wine!) over the meat etc in the pot. Put the lid on it, and leave it until the following day.
6. The following day, lift out the meat with a slotted spoon, and put it in a colander over the casserole, to drain a bit. Lift out the other ingredients and discard them. Keep the wine.
7. If you will be using the same pot, just drain off the wine into a bowl, rinse the pot, dry it, and heat it over medium heat.
8. Add a little oil.
9. Put the other half of the roughly chopped onion into the oil. Add the chopped garlic, and cook both till a little bit golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
10. Dry the meat with paper towels.
11. Put the meat into a bag with 1 cup of flour, and shake the bag till the meat is coated.
12. Begin to brown the meat over medium high heat. Don't do all at once, because if you do they won't brown, they will begin to stew in juice. Brown them in small batches, and lift out with a slotted spoon as they brown.
13. When all have been browned, return all the meat and the onion and garlic to the pan.
14. Add a little of the flour (1 tablespoon) to ensure a somewhat thick sauce.
15. Add 2 bay leaves.
16. Pour the reserved wine over the meat. Pour the rest of the wine (this will be about 1 1/2 pints) over the meat.
17. The liquid should cover the meat. If it doesn't, add some water or bouillon.
18. Cook this covered over low heat for at least two hours, or until tender, stirring occasionally.
19. Add more thyme if desired. The sauce will thicken and become reduced.
20. You can cook this on the stove over low heat or in an oven at 325F or less.
21. I like to cook meat slowly over low heat, so I cook this for almost 4 hours!
22. Prepare dried, thick sliced toast: Take a clove of fresh garlic, and just scrape the garlic lightly over both sides of the toast.
23. Ladle the meat and sauce over the toasts.