Butternut Pork Stew

I give this stew 5 stars! I found the original recipe on the Williams-Sonoma site, and altered it to make it paleo. There is a wonderful complexity of spices and flavors. I doubled the recipe shown here and we had leftovers the next day. This gave the flavors time to blend together further, and it was even more delicious!

Also, I separated the meat at the end of the cooking time and shredded it with two forks. This is not a necessary step, but made for a nice presentation. 

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1” cubes

Sea salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

2 teaspoons garlic, minced

3 teaspoons tomato paste

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

14 oz. can diced tomatoes with the juices

1 lb. butternut squash, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage (and a little extra for topping)

2 cups chicken stock

Sweet potato mash for serving.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Preparation:

Heat a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the meat until seared on all sides. Remove to a plate. Add an additional teaspoon of oil to the pot if necessary. Add the ginger, garlic, tomato paste, spices and pepper flakes. Cook for one minute. Now add the vinegar, applesauce, diced tomatoes, squash, sage, chicken stock and the pork. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

Place the pot, uncovered, in the oven. Cook for 2 to 2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. (If the stew starts to become too thick, put the cover back on and continue cooking.)

Serve the stew over a dollop of sweet potato mash. Top with a little chopped sage.