Food is all about emotion to me; I want my food to make people happy and I want it to get them talking. When I make something and people talk about it, smile and laugh over it while they enjoy it I've done my job right!
I want food to make me happy, I want it to take me to a new place that I've never been and sometimes I want it to send me down memory lane.
I mean I know that you're "suppose" to eat to survive but I survive to eat. Oh and I don't want to just eat to be eating…not it's not like that. I don't want to eat just because there is food in sight… no no….I want food that taste amazing, I want food that's good for me and I want food that isn't.
Let me jump back to the "memories" part of that little speech up there. You know what I'm taking about right?
I made a huge stockpot of this Spicy Cabbage and Pork Stew just for dad because as soon as I tasted this I knew that he was going to love it.
Ok yeah, I know….I just drove you down memory lane and you were probably wondering when we were going to jump back into this era and get back to the recipe, right? Yeah.. sorry about that but I just couldn't help but to talk about it 🙂 You understand right?
I've had Debbie Matenopoulos' cookbook for a while now and this is another one of the recipes that I've made from "It's All Greek to Me".
I know I've told you this before but I love Greek food and I love giving it a go at home! I'm slowly cooking my way through Debbie's cookbook! I still haven't conquered my fear of making stuffed grape leaves but I'm getting there.
Rinse the pork, and pat dry with paper towels.
Season the pork all over with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven set over medium heat.
Add the pork cubes and brown them on all sides, turning them every minute or two for about 6 to 7 minutes total.
Add the white wine and scrape up any brown bits.
Add the onion and cook until it starts to caramelize, about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stewed tomatoes (with their liquid if using canned), tomato paste, carrots (if using), garlic, oregano, and water.
Add the cabbage and chili pepper (if using). Cover and simmer over low heat until the cabbage and meat are extremely tender, about 45 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve immediately.