This week's MENU recipe. Spanish Braised Pork Cheeks

We finally found some pork cheeks at Joostenberg this weekend. We have heard how good this cut of meat is (beef cheeks are supposed to be even better) and Lynne wanted to try out this recipe with the Spanish ingredients. They were succulent. Do use good stock and check halfway through the cooking that the liquid is not evaporating, add water if it is. You serve this with rice rather than potatoes, but the choice is up to you.

1 1/2 T olive oil - 2 large onions, finely chopped - 3 garlic cloves, chopped - 600g pork cheeks, excess fat trimmed and cut in half - 1 tbsp flour, seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed dried herbs - 1 tsp ground cumin - 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika - 300ml medium dry sherry - 500ml beef stock - 3 carrots, chopped in rings - 1 celery stick, finely chopped - 1 fennel bulb, sliced - 1 turnip cut into 2 cm cubes - 1 bay leaf. To finish, 1 T flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped and 1 T flaked almonds

Heat your oven to 170 ⁰C. In an ovenproof casserole with a lid, fry the onion in the oil till soft and beginning to take on some colour. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Dip the pork cheeks into the seasoned flour and, adding a little more oil, brown them on all sides. Add the spices and stir for one minute. Remove and set aside. Add the sherry to the pan and quickly stir to deglaze the pot, to incorporate all the good brown crusty bits. Put back the pork and onions and pour on the beef stock. Add all the vegetables and then add a lid to your pot and transfer to the oven. Cook slowly until the meat is tender. This should take an hour or two. Just before serving, scatter over the parsley and the almonds. Serves four