Slow Cooked Pork & Apple Casserole

• 800 gdiced pork shoulder, cut into 4cm pieces
• 1 tbspplain flour
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tbspunsalted butter
• 200 gsmoked bacon lardons
• 200 mlchicken stock
• 2 tbspwholegrain mustard
• 1large onion, roughly sliced
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tspsoft brown sugar
• 300 mldry cider
• 4sage leaves, about 2 g, torn
• 300 gcored apples, cut into thick wedges
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1leek, finely sliced
• Fine salt, to taste
• 1parsnip, diced
• 1050 gcreamy mashed potato, prepared (optional)
• 360 gcrusty white bread, optional (optional)
• 240 gpickled red cabbage (optional)
• Black pepper, to taste

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan. Pat the pork dry and toss with the flour, a little salt and black pepper.
2. 2Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole over a high heat until it shimmers. Brown the pork in two or three batches, leaving space between the pieces; crowd the pan and water comes out, and you've boiled the meat instead of building that deep golden crust. Each batch wants 3–4 minutes, turning until bronzed on all sides. Set aside on a plate with the resting juices.
3. 3Drop the butter into the same pan and fry the bacon lardons for 3–4 minutes until the fat has rendered and the edges are starting to crisp. Add the onion and leek, reduce to medium and cook for 6–7 minutes until softened and sweet and the sticky brown fond from the pork is loosening. Stir in the diced parsnip and cook for a further 2 minutes until it has slumped into the onions.
4. 4Add the garlic and torn sage and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant; no more.
5. 5Pour in the cider and let it bubble hard for 2 minutes, scraping up every sticky bit from the base of the pan with a wooden spoon; that's pure flavour you're lifting back into the sauce. Stir in the wholegrain mustard and brown sugar.
6. 6Return the pork and its juices to the casserole. Add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. The liquid should come most of the way up the meat; add a little water if needed.
7. 7Cover and cook in the oven for 90–110 minutes until the pork is nearly tender. Nestle in the apple wedges, then cook uncovered for 25 minutes until the pork yields easily to a fork and the apples are soft but holding their shape.
8. 8If the sauce is thin, simmer on the hob for 5 minutes. Taste before adding salt and pepper.
9. 9Scatter over the parsley. Serve with any optional mash, bread and pickled cabbage. Cool leftovers within 2 hours, refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze, and reheat until piping hot throughout.

Per serving

kcal

524

protein

34.9g

fibre

4g

carbs

19.5g

fat

33.6g