I love using fruit in savoury dishes. In the past I’ve paired cherries with duck, lamb with pomegranate and chicken with quince. The traditional apple with pork is still a firm favourite, though, and probably one of the first dishes I had as a child where fruit and savoury met. I fry wedges of apple with black pudding for my little boys, and they love it.
This quick and easy recipe creates all the flavour of roast pork with apple sauce but with none of the hassle. I don’t even peel my apples as there are lots of nutrients in the skin and they bring a welcome burst of colour. A sweet, red-skinned eating apple such as Gala or Cox is perfect. The apple wedges stay intact yet give an amazing flavour and sweetness balanced by the dry, crisp cider.
As Ireland is being swept up in a glorious craft-brewing revival, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to cider and beer. The selection is growing by the day. Craft beers led the way and now cider is stepping into the limelight.
Irish cider is a great drink, whether served ice-cold in summer or heated gently with spices in winter, but it's also fantastic for cooking with. Just as wine is great for adding body to stews, cider adds a depth of flavour and richness from the fermentation. The writers of Sláinte: The Complete Guide to Irish Craft Beer & Cider, Caroline Hennessy and Kristin Jensen, have an array of different recipes including steamed mussels with cider cream and cider sorbet. It's a lovely little book packed full of great information about the fascinating craft-brewing revival.
I’m delighted to see that ciders and beers are now being tasted and appreciated on a par with the finest wines.
Pork steak is a convenient cut of meat and one that is very popular.
Simply trim off any excess fat so the fillet is clean and neat, then cut into medallions. It’s perfect for portion control and remains really succulent when cooked in the cider and onions. Pork is fantastic for taking on other flavours, especially Asian ingredients such as soy sauce, chili or ginger. Don’t be afraid to add plenty of bold tastes. It’s an ideal meat for stir-fries, and a mixture of pork and apple makes the best burger.
I’ve suggested serving this with creamy mashed potato, but tagliatelle, rice or lots of gorgeous steamed greens would be delicious with it too.
PORK WITH APPLES AND CIDER: SERVES 4
The five ingredients
- 1 x 500g pork steak/fillet, trimmed of excess sinew etc and cut into 12 medallions
- 1 onion, halved and cut into wedges
- 2 eating apples, such as Cox, cored and cut into 8 wedges
- 300ml dry cider
- Mashed potato, to serve
From the cupboard
- 100ml water
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Salt; and black or white pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large heavybased frying pan, fry the pork medallions for three to four minutes on each side until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat and add the onion. Fry, stirring, for two to three minutes until it begins to brown. Add the apple and cook over a high heat for five minutes until golden.
Still over a high heat, pour over the cider and leave to bubble for two minutes to reduce slightly.
Add the water, stir and scrape the pan with the wooden spoon to remove every bit of flavour. Lower the heat. Return the pork to the pan, cover and simmer for two minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for three to four minutes to thicken the sauce a little.
Season and serve with creamy mashed potato.
Every Thursday we’ll tweet the five ingredients from @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes.
