Braised Pork With Courgettes

There’s something truly special about pork with courgettes. It’s one of those wonderfully simple, rustic dishes that captures the essence of Cretan home cooking—uncomplicated, full of flavour, and made with whatever is fresh and in season.

The combination of tender pork, delicate courgettes, and fragrant sage creates a beautifully balanced dish that feels both hearty and light at the same time. It’s the kind of meal you’d expect to find bubbling away in a traditional village kitchen, filling the air with mouthwatering aromas.

Best served with crusty bread to soak up every last drop of its delicious juices, this is Cretan cooking at its finest—straightforward, satisfying, and utterly delicious.

Ingredients

1 kilo of boneless pork
4 medium sized courgettes
2 onions, chopped
120 ml olive oil
1 sprig of fresh sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
225 ml white wine
2 large tomatoes skinned & chopped or grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
100 ml water
salt, pepper

Instructions

Skin and chop the tomatoes finely. Alternatively, cut the tomatoes in half and use a grater to separate the flesh from the skins.

Cut the pork into fairly decent sized chunks. Heat the oil in a large pot until smoking and brown the meat all over in the oil. Take the meat out, turn down the heat and brown the onions in the pot. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Pour in the wine, then add the tomatoes, water and season with salt and pepper.

Top and tail the courgettes and add to the pot. Cover and simmer for about 1 - 1½ hours, or until the meat is very tender. Add the sage and cook for another 5-10 minutes.