Pork and Cider Casserole with Thyme

Last Updated on December 7, 2018

A Somerset Cider and Pork Recipe for Easter:

My mother’s side of the family were farmers and I grew up visiting my aunt and uncle who were pig farmers from Wiltshire.  About this time of year, the kitchen had two baskets either side of the aga, with piglets on one side and lambs on the other side that my aunt was hand rearing.  I used to love visiting and cuddling the babies…I also got to ride on a particularly large pig until I grew too much.  My aunt made her own butter and cider, just as my Grandmother and Great Grandmother had done (not Somerset, but that’s where my mum was from, and my Grandparents).  And, the farm cider we took home with us was the basis for this dish, which I am sure is familiar to many people.  It was a lot stronger than anything you can buy in the shops…and I don’t remember it being fizzy.  But, I wasn’t supposed to be drinking it either, so maybe that’s just my imagination!

My mum’s version didn’t have cream and the mustard she used was the kick-a*** Colman’s bright yellow sort.  She also used sage rather than thyme and this dish was generally made with chops or pork steaks, left whole and cooked slowly for a couple of hours.  But my sage is a little sad right now and I was only making enough for 2 people.  So I substituted thyme and tenderloin and my posh maille dijon mustard.  Pork tenderloin is incredibly good value meat, but very lean and I think if you are using it, the dish really benefits from pancetta or lardons of bacon to add a bit of depth to the sauce.

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Pork in Cider

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

55 mins

 

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: British

Servings: 2 -3

Author: Fiona Maclean

Ingredients

• 1 Pork Tenderloin sliced into noisettes
• 400-500 ml Dry Cider depending on the size of your tenderloin, you need enough to easily cover the meat
• 2 Shallots finely chopped
• 2 sticks Celery sliced into 1cm slices
• 1 bunch Fresh Thyme
• 8 New Potatoes
• 1/2 tablespoon Flour
• 1 teaspoon Mustard
• 50 ml Double Cream you can use low fat creme fraiche or leave this out completely for a healthier version
• 50 g Pancetta/lardons diced
• 1 Granny Smith Apple sliced
• 1-2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to season
• 1 teaspoon Sugar

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole
2. Seal the pork in batches till the edges are slightly caramelised - remove from the pan
3. Seal the pancetta, then add the celery and onion and continue to fry for about 5 minutes
4. Return the pork to the pan and sprinkle all the flour over...stir well and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes till the flour has absorbed all the fat and browned a little
5. Add all the cider and stir well
6. Add most of the thyme (reserve a little for garnish) and half of the apple slices
7. Add the new potatoes sliced in half or quarters depending on size (they should be about the same size as the pork noisettes)
8. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer then place in the oven at 180c for about 30-40 minutes
9. Meanwhile, caramelise the remaining apple slices in a small frying pan using a little oil and a teaspoon of sugar
10. Finish the casserole with the cream, a teaspoon of mustard and salt and pepper to taste
11. Serve garnished with fresh thyme and caramelised apple slices

Recipe Notes

Pork tenderloin means you can make this dish very quickly.  However, it works very well with other pork cuts (e.g. diced leg or loin chops).  Depending on the cut of meat you may need to cook for longer

One of the real benefits of this recipe is that by using tenderloin you end up with a casserole that tastes as if it has taken hours to cook in around 45 minutes.  Thyme gives an altogether lighter flavour than sage and the dish will also taste very different if you use a different variety of apple.  Granny Smiths are quite sharp and I think the best eating apples to use in savoury dishes.  But all of this is down to personal taste.