Hearty Pork Ragout

Peel the casing from blood sausage. In a large bowl, mash with a fork and mix with the wine, vinegar. and brandy. Rinse the thyme and rosemary and spin dry. Add the herbs to the mashed blood sausage to make the marinade.

Rinse the pork shoulder, pat dry, and cut into bite-size pieces. Peel 1 onion and the garlic clove and chop them fine. Rinse and peel the carrots and cut into small dice.

Place the meat and the vegetables in the marinade. Add the cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.

Peel the two remaining onions and dice fine. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Lift the pork cubes from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel.

Sear the cubed pork in the oil on all sides, then transfer to a plate. Add the onions and the tomato puree and sauté briefly.

Return the pork and add enough of the marinade to cover the pork. Season with salt and pepper and let braise over low heat for about 1 hour.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a bowl and keep warm. Strain the sauce through a sieve into a pan and bring to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch together with a little water and add to the simmering sauce. Bring to a boil to thicken and season with salt and pepper.

Return the pork to the sauce and simmer long enough to heat thoroughly. Serve the pork ragout on plates garnished with the rosemary.