With the weather warming up, we are slowly moving out of stews and soups, and into the realm of the Valencian mullate, which is Iaia-speak for a dunker. These are hearty, chunky dips that require forks, knives and hunks of fresh bread to dunk in and soak up the flavoursome oils and sauces left on your plate after you’ve scoffed the solids.

The first one I made this season was a typical Iaia mix of pork, tomato and green peppers. Delicious.

What you need:
about 600g of pork fillet
400g tin of tomato
3-4 green Italian peppers
several cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt

What you do:
Separate your garlic cloves but don’t peel them. Cut your fillet into finger-thick slices. Remove the stalk and seeds from your peppers and tear (or cut) them into bite-sized pieces.
Pour a generous tablespoon or two of olive oil into a deep frying pan and heat to moderate, non-screaming warmth; pop your garlic cloves in and let them fry gently in their jackets for a few minutes before adding the pieces of the fillet to brown on both sides. Remove the meat, but leave the garlic and as much of the oil as possible in the pan. Add the peppers and give them a five-minute swirl to soften slightly before pouring in the tomato to fry and reduce. Once the tomatoey mixture is bubbling gently, turn the heat down and put the meat back in the pan. Season to taste, cover, and finish cooking over very low heat for about 20 minutes.
This dip is not meant to be eaten hot, so you will need to let it stand for at least an hour or two before serving. Of course, like all meaty mixes, it is even better the following day. We particularly like it inside a baguette for brunch!

Serve with: bread, fennel and green-leaf salad, and summer beers.