Normandy Pork With Apples Cider Recipes

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a large pan and brown the meat in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan, and only turn the meat when it has a deep brown crust on the underside, as this will add lots of flavour to the stew. When one batch is cooked, tip it into the slow cooker and continue with the next batch, adding more oil as you need it.
• When all the meat has been transferred to the slow cooker, add the onion, carrots and celery to the pan and cook for 5-10 mins to just soften, scraping any meaty bits up from the bottom of the pan. Tip the veg into the slow cooker. Add the lardons to the pan and fry until crispy. Pour in the cider, bubble for 1 min, again scraping the bottom of the pan, then tip the cider and lardons into the slow cooker too. Add the apples, stock cube and herbs to the slow cooker, pour in 400ml water, season well and turn the heat to Low. Cover with the lid and cook for 6-8 hrs until the meat is very tender. (If you don't have a slow cooker, tip all the ingredients back into the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 3 hrs over a low heat, stirring every now and then to prevent it from catching on the bottom. You may have to add a splash of water during cooking if the sauce looks dry.)
• Turn your slow cooker up to High. Add the crème fraîche and mustard to the stew and check the seasoning. If the sauce is thin, you can thicken it with the cornflour - ladle 2 spoonfuls of the sauce into a pan and bring to a simmer, mix the cornflour with 1-2 tsp cold water to make a paste, then stir it into the sauce. Once thickened, return the sauce to the slow cooker and cook for 10 mins more on High, stirring occasionally (or for 5 mins on the hob). Serve with mashed potato, greens and extra mustard and thyme, if you like.

Steps:

• Trim the pork of any thick fat. Cut into large cubes of about 4" square or even bigger - it shrinks with cooking & works better with larger pieces of meat.
• Peel the shallots and set to one side.
• Halve & core the apples and set to one side with the shallots.
• Turn the crockpot onto High. Mix the cider, cider apple vinegar, creme fraiche, salt & pepper, thyme & thickened chicken stock together in a large pouring jug & pour into the crockpot.(If using fresh thyme - leave to last.) Add the cored and halved apples and replace the lid whilst you brown the pork & shallots.
• Heat up half the butter & half of the olive oil in a large skillet or wok-type pan, one with fairly high sides.
• As soon as it is smoking but not burning, brown the shallots in batches - you want a deep caramelised colour & the shallots just softened on the outside. When all the shallots have been done, put them all back into the pan - turn up the heat & add the balsamic vinegar and stir briskly making sure all the shallots are well coated.
• Add the shallots & Balsamic vinegar mixture to the crockpot.
• Heat up the remaining butter and oil, adding more if necessary & start to brown the pork pieces, again do not overcrowd the pan - they need to be well coloured & seared to seal in the juices. As the pork pieces are browned, add them to the crockpot.
• When all the pork is browned & added to the crockpot, give all the ingredients a good mix around in the crockpot with a wooden spoon. If using fresh thyme, pick about 4 large sprigs and place on top of the Normandy Pork - the leaves fall off during cooking & leave the bare branches for throwing away!
• Cook on high for between 6 - 10 hours.
• Just before serving, pour in Calvados and mix through. Serve each person with 2 -3 pieces of pork, a cooked apple half & 1 or 2 shallots; add a dollop of creme fraiche on the side & garnish with Thyme & a fresh Apple sliver if desired. Decant the excess sauce into a gravy boat for extra saucy bits!
• Great with spiced red cabbage, fluffy mashed potatoes or pommes Dauphinoise.
• To cook in an conventional oven, follow recipe as above, but cook in a La Creuset type oven proof dish; pre-heat oven to 175 C or 350 F and cook slowly for about 6 hours, checking after 4 hours. It will cook quite happily for up to 8 hours if this helps in your time management, you may have to turn the oven down to about 125 C, 250 F after 4 hours for a long slow 8 hour cooking time.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat butter in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Place pork tenderloin in butter, and brown on both sides. Remove from skillet, and set aside.
• Stir in onions, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in apple, and cook until golden brown. Stir in flour; cook about 30 seconds.
• In a bowl, stir together stock and apple cider. Stir into skillet, and bring to a boil. Return tenderloin to skillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover skillet.
• Bake in preheated oven until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove tenderloin to a cutting board, and cut into 1 1/2-inch slices.
• Pour the sauce, including the onions and apples, into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan, and reheat over medium-low; stir in 2 tablespoons cream, and heat until warm. Serve sauce spooned over sliced tenderloin.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the pork in batches, until just browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a casserole. Add the onions to the frying pan and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until just transparent. Place in the casserole with the pork.
• Add the vegetables to the casserole, then pour over the cider and add the bay leaves. Put over a high heat and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until the pork is tender.
• Allow to cool, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge. To reheat, put into a large pan over a medium heat and heat until piping hot.
• Stir the mustard and cornstarch into the creme fraiche, then stir into the casserole. Core and cut the apples into wedges. Add to the casserole and simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season and serve.