Hearty and warming, braised pork is a fantastic dish for the winter season, and with the addition of a fabulous wine pairing, your dinner will sing! Edible Rhody Magazine has provided us with a succulent recipe for a special Cider Braised Pork Shank, and we’ve paired it with Malbec wine. Happy Holidays!
Wine Pairing: Malbec
Robust, dark in color, and one of our favorite wine varietals, Malbec is not only a great wine for the season, but is especially delicious with this hearty braised pork dish. The flavors are bold enough to stand up to the full flavor of this preparation, with out being too strong to overwhelm the reduction sauce and your vegetable side dishes. Below are top picks from the wine experts at Bottles.
A delicious Malbec from France. A dry style wine with big black cherry, plum and violet aromas and flavors. A great value!
A delicious wine in a beautiful bottle! Smooth and luxurious with dark fruit flavors like ripe plums and cherries, a very silky smooth texture and a dark cocoa and coffee finish. The ‘One’ on each bottle was cut from used wine barrel hoops – impressive both on the outside and inside. Really nice by itself but also great with the Cider Braised Pork Shank.
Incredible dark opaque color with flavors of lavender, spice and black cherry cola. Great depth of flavor with lively acidity with a super long finish. A very flexible wine due to its concentration and balance.
Cider Braised Pork Shank
Martin Lyons, executive chef, XO Café, Providence
Embracing the change of seasons, this hearty dish is sure to take the chill out of a cold winter’s night. Blackbird Farm free-range pork braised with Barden’s apple cider, served with a gratin of Schartner’s root vegetables and some sautéed kale—a perfect way to pay homage to the work of our local farmers.
3–4 pounds pork shoulder or 6 (8-ounce) pork shanks
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
½ cup red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups apple cider
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
4 each whole cloves and green cardamom pods
2 whole star anise
1 teaspoon whole allspice
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 325°. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in an oven-safe heavy-bottomed pot on medium-high heat and brown pork shoulder on all sides. Remove from pan. Add vegetables and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Deglaze pot by adding red wine, scraping any browned bits. Reduce wine by half, and then stir in tomato paste. Add stock, cider, herbs and spices and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add shoulder back to pot and cover. Place in oven and bake for 3–4 hours, until fork tender, turning occasionally.
Remove shoulder from pot and keep warm. Strain other solids through a fine-mesh sieve and discard. Defat and then return the liquid to the pot; add brown sugar and vinegar and cook down until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve pork sliced (or whole, if using shanks) with reduction sauce. Serves 6.
VISIT
Cheers!
Visit our wine store to shop a great selection of wines for the holidays.
We’re located at 141 Pitman St., Providence, Rhode Island.