Stewed pork shoulder with creamed mushroom barley and beetroot

Recipe for Two

Vögerl:

• 500 g narrow-legged veggies or 700 g stilton
• Soup vegetables
• 2 slices of pancetta
• ½ red onion
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1⁄16 litre red wine
• ¼ litre broth or water
• Savory, juniper berries
• Salt, pepper, sugar

Creamed Mushroom Barley:

• 1 cup rolled barley or pearl barley
• 2 cups broth or water
• ½ white onion
• 6 cl white wine
• ⅛ litre whipping cream
• 100 g king oyster mushrooms or seasonal mushrooms
• 1 bay leaf, grated nutmeg, garlic
• Salt, white pepper

Beetroot:

• 1 beetroot
• 1 tbsp grated poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp butter
• Cinnamon
• Ground salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the Oven: Set the oven to 160°C. Boil the unpeeled beetroot in plenty of water for about 1 to 1½ hours, depending on its variety and size.
2. Prepare the Vögerl: Peel and roughly dice the soup vegetables and onion. Leave the bacon unsliced. Generously salt the meat, season with a touch of pepper, and coat with mustard.
3. Cook the Vögerl: Heat oil in a casserole dish and sauté the vegetables with the onion. Once they are browned, push them to the side and sear the meat on all sides. Sprinkle the vegetables with sugar, stir, and deglaze with red wine. Add broth and remaining spices. Braise the veggies in the oven for ½ hour. Add water if needed, cover, and simmer until tender, about 2½ hours. Check the liquid occasionally and turn the meat. The Vögerl are ready when a meat fork pierces them with little resistance.
4. Prepare the Barley: Peel and finely dice the onion. Quarter the king oyster mushrooms and slice them. Finely dice some mushroom slices. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add onion and diced mushrooms, and sauté briefly without browning. Stir in the barley, deglaze with white wine, and add broth. Season with salt, nutmeg, garlic, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. When barley is al dente, add cream and king oyster mushrooms. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and remove the bay leaf.
5. Finish the Beetroot: Peel the beetroot and slice it attractively. Melt butter in a pan, add breadcrumbs and poppy seeds, and fry briefly. Season with salt and cinnamon. Toss the beetroot slices in this mixture.
6. Serve: Pour off the gravy, reduce or puree with the vegetables, season to taste, and serve alongside the Vögerl, barley, and beetroot. Enjoy your meal!