Spanish-Style Pork Stew
This Spanish-inspired pork stew from chef Steve Guy (The Hungry Guy) is comfort food at its finest — rich, hearty and packed with flavour. Slow-cooked to perfection, it brings together tender pork, roasted vegetables, and aromatic spices for a dish that feels both rustic and refined.
Steve uses Droitwich Salt Coastline to give this stew a unique twist — its blend of lemon verbena, dulse and fennel seed adds a subtle coastal freshness that lifts every mouthful. Whether served with crusty bread, potatoes or simple seasonal veg, it’s the kind of dish that celebrates real ingredients, careful cooking, and local craft.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tbsp olive oil
1.5-2kg pork shoulder, skin off and fat trimmed (leaving some on), cut into 2-3cm chunks
500g bacon, lardons (we used some surplus bacon trim)
2 onions, peeled and cut into wedges
1 courgette, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tomatoes, cut into chunks (or 1 tin chopped toms)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
0.5L chicken or pork stock
pinch Droitwich Salt Coastline or Pure Salt
pinch black pepper
1 lemon, juice
1 courgette, 1cm chunks
1 red pepper, de-seeded 1cm chunks
1 red onion, peeled, cut into wedges
pinch dried oregano
METHOD:
Pre-heat the oven to 160C
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil to a casserole dish on high, add the bacon lardons and fry until golden and the fats rendered.
Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
Season the pork with some salt and pepper before adding the chunks of pork shoulder to the pan and quickly brown on all sides before removing from the pan and setting aside - do this in batches if needed, try not to overcrowd the pan.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the sliced onions and sliced courgettes, place the lid on a cook on low for 15 minutes until well softened and almost jammy.
Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and keep cooking on a medium-low heat, lid on, for another 10-15 minutes until really well reduced, soft and almost jam like.
Add the bacon and pork chunks back into the pan with the tin of tomatoes and the stock with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer before placing in the oven and cooking for 1-1.5 hours until the pork is just tender.
While the pork stew is cooking, add the red onion, red pepper and courgette to a roasting tin, coat in 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of dried oregano with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden and nicely roasted.
When the pork is just tender, remove from the oven, add the roasted veg and gently stir through. Replace the lid and leave to rest for 20 minutes.
Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
Serve in bowls with side dishes of you choice and plenty of bread for mopping