Braised Pigs’ Cheeks With Black Olives And Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 20m Prep Time
- 3h Cook Time
- 3h Ready In
Tender braised pigs' cheeks slow-cooked with black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil in a rich red wine sauce. A comforting Mediterranean stew perfect for cold weather.
Ingredients
- 12 pigs' cheeks trimmed
- 3/7 cups olive oil
- 3 8/15 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 3/13 cups beef stock
- 3/11 lbs sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 20 black olives pitted
- 10 basil leaves torn
- mashed potatoes or boiled rice
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/9 cups red wine
- 1 large onion coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 14 of 16 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 224 mg
- Iron: 6.09 mg
- Magnesium: 98.9 mg
- Phosphorus: 303 mg
- Potassium: 1685 mg
- Zinc: 2.01 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- 3/7 cups olive oil
- 3 8/15 oz plain flour
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 4 3/13 cups beef stock
- mashed potatoes or boiled rice
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/9 cups red wine
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
Prepare
- Trim 12 pigs' cheeks
- Chop 3/11 lbs sun-dried tomatoes
- 20 black olives, pitted
- 10 basil leaves, torn
- 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
- Crush 3 garlic cloves
- Chop 2 carrots
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Place the trimmed pigs' cheeks in a large bowl. Add the red wine, coarsely chopped onion, crushed garlic, chopped carrots, thyme sprig, and rosemary sprig. Mix until the meat is coated, then cover and refrigerate for 6–8 hours or overnight.
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Step 2.
Remove the pigs' cheeks from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Pat the cheeks dry with paper towels.
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Step 3.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown the pigs' cheeks on all sides, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer browned cheeks to a plate.
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Step 4.
Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the flour and tomato purée, cooking for 1–2 minutes until the flour is lightly golden. Gradually pour in the reserved marinade and beef stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Return the pigs' cheeks to the pot.
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Step 5.
Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid. Cook over very low heat for 3 hours, occasionally skimming off any fat and impurities that rise to the surface with a ladle.
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Step 6.
While the cheeks are simmering, chop the sun-dried tomatoes and pit the olives if needed. Tear the basil leaves.
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Step 7.
After 3 hours, add the sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, and torn basil leaves to the pot. Stir gently and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with mashed potatoes or boiled rice.