PORTUGUESE PORK STEW

Many thanks to my CLC friend Kim in Chicago for this fabulous recipe! I love this for entertaining (I found out that you can hold this in the oven on warm if your guests are an hour late). This also works great cooking while you are at your church meetings. Freezes well. My kids love it if I chop the onions and the red peppers small enough so they can't identify them.

Reprinted from the Chicago Tribune
Kim's note: I always serve this with couscous. Warming, substantive and lively in flavor, this stew also can be made with with an equal weight of well-trimmed lamb stew meat instead of the pork.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 1/2 hours
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon each: ground cloves, dried leaf thyme
2 pounds boneless pork sirloin, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes, patted dry
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large red onions, 1 pound total, coarsely chopped
2 medium red peppers, 12 ounces total, roasted, cut into 1/2-inch squares (Kim's note: A lot of times I just buy a jar of roasted red peppers and dice them up)
1 cup orange juice
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon red-wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
Rind of 1/2 orange, removed with grater

1. Put rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Put flour, salt, pepper, clove and thyme in large plastic bag. Add meat in two batches to coat.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over high heat. When hot, add half the meat. Brown on all sides. Set aside in 2-quart casserole. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. When hot, brown remaining meat. Add to casserole.

4. Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onions. Stir up any browned bits on bottom of skillet. Cook until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add to casserole with red peppers, orange juice, sugar, vinegar and bay leaf. Mix well.

5. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Stir well, pressing meat down into pan juices. Bake, uncovered, until meat is tender, about 1 hour more. Add grated rind. Adjust seasoning. Can be made as long as three days ahead or frozen. To reheat, bring to room temperature. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven until hot, about 30 minutes. Or cook on high power in microwave oven in covered microwave-safe casserole until hot, about 5 minutes, stirring midway.