There’s a real joy in slowing down in the kitchen. It becomes a different type of gentle cooking. It allows beautiful smells to waft through the house and ingredients to mingle and develop over time into something deep, rich and flavorful.

Of all slow cooked dishes, Goan pork vindaloo is my favorite. Originally a Portuguese stew made with meat, garlic and wine, the dish made its way to India in the 1500s with Portuguese explorers. Today, vindaloo curry is a sweet, hot and sour dish popular all over the world.

The modern recipe still uses garlic and wine vinegar but it also includes chilies and lots of warming spices, such as cinnamon, cumin and cloves. I use a cheaper and fattier cut of meat, such as pork shoulder, which shows its true colors after a few hours to become succulent, sweet and soft.

There are no wrong moves with slow cooking. It gives you the flexibility to taste and adjust as you go until it tastes just right. The only trouble is that after several hours of cooking, it will only take a few minutes to eat.