Macedonian-style pork neck

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 800 g pork neck
• salt and pepper
• 50 ml olive oil
• 50 ml white wine
• 16 shallots
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 stalk(s) cinnamon
• 4 quinces
• 16 cloves
• 12 prunes, soaked in black tea

Instructions

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

Greek dish with origins dating back to the Byzantine period

Cut the pork neck into portions, season with salt and pepper, and sear on both sides in hot olive oil until golden brown. Remove the meat from the casserole dish, deglaze the pan with white wine, and simmer the trimmed shallots, covered, for five minutes. Meanwhile, score the tomatoes, blanch them in hot water, peel them, and puree them with a hand blender. Remove the cooked shallots from the pot and simmer the pork neck with the tomato puree, a little water, and the cinnamon stick, covered, for fifteen minutes over a low heat. Peel, quarter, and core the quinces. Sauté the quinces in a little olive oil, then stud each with a clove. Add the quinces to the meat and simmer for another fifteen minutes. For the last five minutes, add the drained prunes and the pre-cooked shallots to the pan to warm them up. Remove the cinnamon stick, season with salt and pepper, and serve each portion of pork with shallots, quinces, prunes, and a little sauce. We served it with Turkish rice.