makes 6 meze servings
This Cretan specialty is wonderful with a glass of red wine on a winter day. You can serve it as a meze or make it into a more substantial meal by cooking up some rice and serving it with a salad.
6 tablespoons (90 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil
2 leeks, trimmed, washed well, and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1½ pounds (680 g) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1½-inch (4 cm) cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
5 or 6 fresh thyme sprigs
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 star anise pod
1 whole dried chile
1½ cups (360 ml) dry white wine
Water or chicken broth, as needed
3 tablespoons Greek pine honey or thyme honey
In a large wide pot or deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook until soft and lightly golden, about 12 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Rinse the pork and pat dry.
In the same pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the pork pieces, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides. Reduce the heat to medium-low, return the leek-onion mixture to the pan, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, orange zest, star anise, and chile and stir gently to release the aromas of the herbs and spices.
Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in the wine. Deglaze the meat; let the alcohol in the wine steam off, then add enough water or broth to barely cover the contents of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the meat is completely cooked and very tender, 2 to 2½ hours, stirring in the honey about an hour before the meat is done. (The honey will slowly caramelize in the pot; by the end of cooking, the contents should be deeply colored and the pan juices should be thick, almost syrupy.)
Remove the herb sprigs, star anise, and chile before serving. Serve hot or warm.
