Pork shoulder slow-cooked in chicken stock, dry red wine and tomato juice is seasoned with aromatic spices in this gourmet recipe that includes butternut squash, resulting in a heavenly dish that is comforting and sophisticated at the same time. The pork and squash stew is flavored with sage, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, ad ground ginger creating a complex yet harmonious dish that titillates the taste buds and excites the senses. One of the key ingredients here is the pancetta bacon, which gives the stew a richness and depth that makes it all the more savory.

This is a dish that is simple to prepare but takes long and slow hours to cook for the meat to break down and become tender and juicy that it almost falls of the bones. Before making the video recipe, prepare all the ingredients beforehand. The pork shoulder should be cut into two inch pieces, the pancetta bacon should also be chopped thinly, and the butternut squash should be peeled and cubed. If you don’t have or can’t find pancetta for use in this recipe, you can also use regular bacon.

Chop the onions and the garlic cloves. You should already have the chicken stock ready before cooking the pork. Premade chicken stock is available in the grocery or you can make stock days ahead at home by boiling and simmering a whole chicken or chicken carcass and bones with some carrots, celery and onions. To get clear chicken soup, pass the stock through a sieve before using it to make this recipe. You can use any dry red wine or any red wine that is not sweet. For best results, use a red wine that you actually like drinking that is of good quality but not necessarily expensive. A French wine such as Bordeaux or a Pinot Noir is ideal for cooking stew.

Ingredients
3 lbs. pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 in. pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped thinly sliced pancetta bacon
2 cups chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, chopped
28 oz. diced tomatoes in juice
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry red wine
20 1 ½ in. cubes peeled butternut squash

Set the pork pieces in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, sage, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and ginger. Sprinkle this mixture over the pork and toss. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Pour the oil into a large oven proof pot place over medium heat. Add the pancetta. Sauté until golden. Remove the pancetta and place it in a medium bowl.

Add half of pork to the pot and sauté until golden. Remove the pork and place it in the bowl with the pancetta. Sauté the remaining pork and add it to the pancetta bowl.

Add the onions and garlic to the pot and sauté until tender. Add the tomatoes (with the liquid from the can), stock, wine, and the pork mixture. Scrape the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil.

Cover the pot and place it in oven. Cook for 1 hour. Add the squash. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the meat and vegetables are tender. Using a slotted spoon, move all the pork and vegetables to a large bowl. Cover to keep warm.

Move the pot to the stove and boil the juices over medium high for about 25 minutes, or until thickened. Put the meat and vegetables back in the pot and season with salt and pepper.