Serves: 6
Heat the oven to 160, wash and chop the vegetables into small pieces and set aside. Chop all the meat into bite sized cubes. Put the chorizo in the pot over a low heat and fry gently - this releases the oil. After a couple of minutes, remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the pork to the pan with the chorizo oil and an extra glug of olive oil. Sauté for 5 minutes to seal it on all sides.
Take it out of the pot, add to the bowl with the released oil and the chorizo and set aside.
Into the same pan add all the veg - onion & garlic first (fry til soft), then the bay leaves, carrots, red pepper, paprika and cumin. When softened (pepper in particular), add the tomatoes, the tomato puree, chopped thyme and the glass of wine and simmer for a while. Then return the meat to the pan, stir together then transfer to the oven. If the sauce looks a bit too thick, or doesn’t cover everything, add another glug of wine, stock or water.
After half an hour, turn the oven down to 110 or so. Leave it as long as you like after that, but two hours is the minimum (if you make this first thing in the morning, it can cook all day but drop the heat to 90/100) - a gentle bubble when you take the lid off, basically. Give it a good stir every half hour or so. About half an hour before you serve, add the can of haricot beans. They’re already cooked, so you’re just warming them through and letting them take on some of the sauce.
You’re looking for a velvety red colour, the pork to be falling-apart tender and the vegetables to have come together in a rich sauce. The beans & chorizo should still have some bite to them. Garnish with a good handful of chopped parsley. Great with roast spuds, boiled rice or crusty bread. Even better the next day after a gentle reheating.