Savory Tomato Pork Stew

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 pounds tomatoes, peele, deseeded, and roughly chopped or 1 and 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly crushed by hand
• 2 cups homemade or store-bought low sodium chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves.

Directions

1. Place the oven rack in the lower middle position, then heat the oven to 225 degrees F. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook them, stirring now and then, until softened and lightly golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook just until it smells fragrant, about 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.
2. Warm the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat until it shimmers. Add the pork cubes and brown them on every side. Lift the pork out of the Dutch oven, then pour in the white wine. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 1 minute, using a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula to loosen the browned bits from the bottom.
3. Add the cooked onion mixture and the pork back to the Dutch oven. Stir in the tomatoes, the chicken stock, the bay leaf, the cilantro, the oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Mix everything together, bring it to a boil, cover the pot, and move it to the oven. Cook until the pork is fully tender, about 3 hours. For the slow cooker option, move the mixture into a slow cooker and cook it on low heat for 6 to 8 hours.
4. Take the stew out of the oven. Put the Dutch oven over medium heat on the stove; if you used a slow cooker, move the stew into the Dutch oven first. In a cup, stir the cornstarch with the cold water until smooth. Add that mixture to the stew and cook, stirring the whole time, until the broth thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in half of the parsley, scatter the rest over the top, and serve.