Spanish Pork Stew (with Chickpeas)

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A hearty Spanish pork stew with pearl onions and chickpeas in a rich and comforting sauce.

This Spanish pork stew is just what a good stew should be: rich and comforting, hearty, and warming, full of very tender meat pieces. In addition, you have the onions and the chickpeas. And trust me, they are a wonderful addition.

And while we are at it, you could try this Chicken and Chorizo Stew or this Spanish Vegetable Soup.

I love a good stew, especially when the weather gets wetter and colder. I grew up with them, stews seem to be the heart of Romanian cooking, not only the kind of meat stew one would expect but also lots and lots of vegetable stews. A good stew can be so comforting on a cold rainy day, it warms you up from inside and leaves you wishing nothing more.

What do you need?

Pork:

• Stewing pork cubes, they are usually pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into rather large chunks, about 3 cm/ 1.2 inches.

Onions:

• Small pearl onions are what you need to make this Spanish-style stew.

Chickpeas:

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained or the same amount of cooked chickpeas, about 230 g/ 8 oz.

Broth or stock:

• I almost always use homemade beef bone broth or chicken stock, depends on what I have in the fridge or freezer at the moment.
• Good quality bought beef broth or chicken stock are perfectly fine. It is preferable to use low-sodium and add more salt at the end of the cooking process, if necessary. Stew tend to be too salty if the broth you use is too salty.

Sherry:

• It gives this pork stew its Spanish touch.
• Use good quality dry sherry, not an expensive one, but not the cheapest either.

Tips

• When making any stew or goulash always dry the meat pieces with kitchen paper before frying them.
• Also, cook the meat in batches, don’t overcrowd the pan, or the meat will not sear but rather cook in its own juices. Two batches should be enough for this amount of meat if you use a regular-sized pan.
• I prefer to use a Dutch oven when making stews, but any thick-bottomed pan with a well-fitting lid should be fine.

More stews:

Romanian Pea and Chicken Stew

Rabbit Stew

Guinness Irish Stew with Beef

Easy Potato Stew