Dutch Oven Extravaganza: Succulent Braised Pork

Delicious looking, yes? L bought me the most amazing gift for Christmas this year - a dutch oven. Yes, in true married person fashion, I've started asking for kitchen supplies on major gift-giving occasions such as this. No lie - I asked for a programmable thermostat for my birthday. I didn't get it, but I was totally serious when I said I wanted one. It's still on the list of acceptable items to receive for celebratory events. Anyway, back to the dutch oven. I got one, it's beautiful, and it has led to some amazing dishes. Like this beautiful braised tenderloin. Be jealous. 

I won't bore you with too many details - mainly just fantastic photos (courtesy of L, standing on a wobbly ladder in the middle of the kitchen). After googling "dutch oven recipes," I decided to go with the Food Network's recipe for Succulent Braised Pork. Why? Well, unfortunately there weren't any photos accompanying the recipe, but the solid list of reviews made me think it was a good starter. 

Feel free to follow the link, but here are the ingredients:

• 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 6 large chunks  (I only cut mine into 4)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped (I cut some baby carrots in half)
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
• 1 bunch parsley stems, tied with string
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup water

Again, in the interest of short attention spans, we'll finish up with a lovely photo narrative. For my very first meal in the dutch oven, this was fantastic. And it made for some amazing pork sandwiches for the rest of the weekend. Much dutch ovening has occurred over the past few weeks - tonight I made "Mediterranean Fish Soup" - so we're on track for this to be the best Christmas present ever. Well, or at least a close tie to a programmable thermostat. 

Photo evidence that I'm slightly cheap.
No worries, things turned out beautifully, even with the Best Choice Products. 

Right after I added the wine. Let the braising begin! 

Dutch oven beauty. Also, our pizza stone never leaves the oven. Never. 

Serious thought and contemplation went into how to present our beautiful
concoction. We'd like to give a shout out to CB2 and their awesome
dinnerware. But mainly, I'd like to pat myself on the back for
what turned out to be an awesome meal. Oh, and
thanks to L for the present.