Celebrity chef Loulla Astin was born in Avgorou, Cyprus but has lived most of her life in Manchester where she owns Kosmos Taverna.
Loulla appeared regularly on ITV, Carlton and Sky and was a Resident Chef on Granada TV’s The Afternoon Show. She even recorded her own 52-part TV series titled Simply Greek.
This week, Loulla shares her recipe for Afelia / Αφέλια (Pork in red wine with coriander seeds), a Cypriot speciality made all year round.
At Christmas time in the olden days, a homebred pig would be slaughtered and the Afelia would be served to the helpers with cracked wheat pilaff and yoghurt.
Its fame has also spread to Greece and the islands.
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
1 kilo (21b) boneless pork shoulder, cut into medium cubes with a little fat left on
100ml (½ cup) vegetable oil
2 glasses dry red wine
½ glass red wine vinegar
2 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
1-2 small cinnamon sticks
2 bay leaves
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp tomato purée
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish

Method:
If you have the time, it is best to marinate the pork in the red wine, wine vinegar and crushed coriander seeds for several hours or overnight. Drain the pork well and reserve the marinade for later.
Pat the meat dry with kitchen paper, heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan and brown the pork in batches until golden brown all over.
Return all the meat to the pan, add the cinnamon sticks and bay leaves, and season with salt, pepper, ground cinnamon and cumin.
Mix the tomato purée and marinade and enough warm water to only just cover the meat. Bring to the boil, skim if necessary, cover the pan and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Serve with Pourgouri (cracked wheat pilaff) and thick Greek yoghurt and decorate with fresh coriander leaves and crushed coriander seeds.