Pork cheeks in vegetable sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg pork cheeks
• 3 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 200 g celery
• 3 carrots
• 700 ml veal stock
• 350 ml red wine
• 200 ml port wine
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 4 juniper berries
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp, heaped mustard
• some cranberries
• some butter, cold, in pieces

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

Season the pork cheeks with salt and pepper. Dice the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Roughly chop the rosemary and thyme. Briefly sear the cheeks on all sides in a roasting pan and then remove from the pan. Add the vegetables and garlic to the roasting pan and roast briefly. Then add the spices and herbs and cook briefly. Stir in the tomato paste and cook briefly. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with a splash of wine and port. Let stand for 2-3 minutes to loosen any browned meat. Return the roasting pan to the heat and reduce the liquid completely. Repeat this process 3 more times until all the wine and port are used up. Reduce by half the last time. Pour in the veal stock and return the cheeks to the roasting pan. Simmer gently with the lid on for 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, remove the cheeks and strain the sauce through a sieve. Season with salt, pepper, mustard, and cranberries. Stir in the cold butter until the sauce thickens to your liking. Add the cheeks again and bring everything back to a boil briefly.