Tuscan Pork & Borlotti Bean Stew
Cook once. Feed everyone.
This Tuscan-inspired pork and borlotti bean stew is proper comfort food with hardly any effort. Two casserole dishes, a little chopping, then everything goes into the oven to slowly cook until the pork is beautifully tender.
The grown-up version is rich with white wine, fennel, borlotti beans and cavolo nero, while the Tiny Feaster version is cooked alongside it with very low-salt stock and finely diced pork and vegetables. Both are finished with creamy mascarpone.
Serves: 4 adults + around 4–6 Tiny Feaster portions
Cooking time: 2½–3½ hours
Oven: 180°C
Ingredients
Pork
1kg pork shoulder
750g cut into large chunks for the adults
250g finely diced for your Tiny Feasters
For the grown-ups
750g pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
1 carrot, roughly chopped
130g fennel, sliced
2 tsp garlic purée
1½ medium onions, cut into chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato purée
2 chicken stock pot
1 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black pepper
Salt, to season
250ml white wine
200ml water
1 x 400g tin borlotti beans, drained
150g cavolo nero, roughly chopped
175g mascarpone
For your Tiny Feasters
250g pork shoulder, finely diced
1 carrot, finely chopped
45g fennel, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic purée
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato purée
1 very low-salt chicken stock cube
½ tsp celery seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp black pepper
350ml water
50g cavolo nero, finely chopped
75g mascarpone
To serve
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Crusty bread for the grown-ups
Method
1. Get your two casseroles ready
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Place the 750g of chunky pork shoulder into a large casserole dish and the 250g of finely diced pork into a smaller casserole dish.
2. Build the grown-up stew
Add the carrot, fennel, garlic, onions, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, chicken stock pot, celery seeds, fennel seeds and black pepper to the large casserole.
Season with salt, then pour over the white wine and 200ml water.
Give everything a really good stir.
3. Make the Tiny Feaster version
To the smaller casserole, add the finely chopped carrot, fennel, garlic, onion, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, very low-salt chicken stock cube, celery seeds, fennel seeds and black pepper.
Pour over 350ml water and stir everything together.
4. Slow cook
Cover both casserole dishes and place them in the oven for 2–3 hours, checking towards the end of the cooking time.
You want the pork to be beautifully tender but not completely falling apart. This isn’t a pulled-pork-style stew, so the grown-up pieces should still hold their shape.
5. Add the beans and greens
Once the pork is tender, stir the drained borlotti beans and 150g cavolo nero through the grown-up casserole.
Stir 50g finely chopped cavolo nero through the Tiny Feaster casserole.
Return both dishes to the oven for around 20 minutes, until the cavolo nero has softened.
6. Make it creamy
Remove both casseroles from the oven.
Stir 175g mascarpone through the grown-up stew and 75g mascarpone through the Tiny Feaster version until the sauces are creamy and beautifully rich.
7. Serve
Scatter over plenty of freshly chopped parsley and serve the grown-up stew with big pieces of crusty bread for mopping up that creamy Tuscan-style sauce.
For your Tiny Feasters, allow their portion to cool and serve the pork and vegetables in an age-appropriate size and texture.
Simple, cosy family food — two casseroles, one oven and everyone fed
