Ingredients
Scale
For the Stew:
- 3-lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons flour
- 1½ cups Holland House® marsala cooking wine
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup milk
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large Yukon gold potato, diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
For the Biscuits:
- 1¼ cups flour
- 1 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 egg
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
For the Stew:
- Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, oven-safe pot over medium-high heat.
- Pat the pork dry with paper towels and liberally season on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to the pot and once hot, add the pork pieces in batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until all sides are crisp and golden brown.
- Remove the pork from the pot and place on a plate. Continue with remaining pork. Set seared pork aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. To the drippings in the pan, add the butter, onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add in the garlic, spices, brown sugar, and dried herbs and cook for another minute.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and toss to evenly coat. Cook for a couple minutes to get out the raw flour taste.
- Slowly and carefully stream in the marsala wine, scraping the bottom of the pot well to get up all the browned bits.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and then stir in the stock and milk. Return it to a simmer.
- Once the liquid is simmering, return the pork to the pot, along with the fresh thyme and diced potato.
- Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring every now and then, or until the pork is tender and falling apart.
- Shred the pork to your liking and remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the parsley.
For the Biscuits:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Whisk together the milk and egg in a measuring cup and, while pulsing the machine, slowly stream the mixture into the dry ingredients.
- Add in the cheese and melted butter and pulse a few more times to bring the mixture together.
- Spoon dollops of the biscuit dough on top of the stew. I made mine about 2 tablespoons each in size.
- Place the entire pot into the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuits are puffed and golden.
- Allow the stew to cool slightly and garnish with additional parsley before serving.