Provencal pork stew

I'm sure you all remember that, lately I've been cooking with tomatoes a lot, with homemade tomato sauce, to be precise. Ever since my coworker flooded the newsroom with beautifully ripe beefsteak tomatoes I've been making homemade tomato sauce like crazy and, subsequently, had to figure out ways to use it, other than using it as pasta sauce of course.


I found this recipe on Cooking Light's website. It caught my eye not only because it called for a lot of tomato sauce, but also because it called for other ingredients I love and had on hand: fennel, black olives and oregano. Well, I'm glad I tried it because it was amazing. I'm also glad I made a lot of it, so I had some leftovers to enjoy a couple of nights later, when I didn't feel like cooking. I love my new job but sometimes I'm really tired at night and I don't always feel like cooking. This stew keeps really well in the fridge... I'd even say it was better after two days!


PROVENCAL PORK STEW

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 4 cups sliced fennel bulb (about 2 bulbs)
• 3 1/2 cups thinly sliced onion (about 2 large)
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup fat-free chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
• 3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 cup niçoise olives
• 1/2 cup capers
• Chopped fresh oregano 

• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add fennel and onion; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Spoon fennel mixture into a large bowl.
• Place flour in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge pork in flour, shaking off excess. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of pork mixture; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Add browned pork to fennel mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining pork mixture, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Add wine to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in pork mixture, broth, herbes de Provence, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until pork is just tender.
• Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and olives. Simmer 10 minutes or until pork is tender and sauce is thick. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.