Agrodolce in Italian means sweet and sour. It is the agrodolce in this recipe that makes this pork dish a very different pork dish from other European pork dishes. Most of the European pork dishes are made with sautéed vegetables as a base. This pork agrodolce is braised and is mostly flavored with balsamic vinegar and honey. Very different, very easy and very nice flavor combinations. Wonderful with fluffy mashed potatoes or plain white rice.
Ingredients
Agrodolce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 anchovy fillet, or 1 tbspn anchovy paste
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (hot)
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper or more to taste
Pork Shoulder
- 2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder cubed into 3" pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle in pan
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
Garnish
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
- Pre heat oven to
325 °F - Cube 2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder and set aside.
- Combine 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp honey, 1 anchovy fillet, or 1 tbspn anchovy paste, 2 cloves garlic, grated, 1 tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped, 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (hot), and 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper or more to taste in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside until ready to use.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in bottom of a medium sized dutch oven and add cubed pork shoulder. Season with 1 tbsp kosher salt and 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper or more to taste.
- Add balsamic vinegar mixture, all at once, to the cubed pork and mix to combine, making sure that the mixture covers the pork evenly.
- Transfer pork to a pre heated oven and braise for about 2 hours or until the pork is soft and tender.
Garnish
- Add roasted tomatoes and serve.
