Country French Pork With Prunes And Apples Food

BRAISED PORK WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a flame-proof casserole pan and cook the pork, turning occasionally, until it is golden brown all over, about 10 mins. You need plenty of space in the pan, so cook in 2 batches if the meat starts to steam. Remove from the pan to a plate. Tip out any burnt bits, then add the butter and cook the onion for 3-5 mins until softened.
• Stir in the flour, then return the pork and juices to the pan. Pour over the wine and enough stock to cover the meat. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for 45 mins, stirring occasionally. Tip in the prunes, top up with stock or water if the meat isn't covered, and cook 45 mins more, uncovered, until really tender. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

BRAISED PORK WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• First of all, fry the pieces of pork in the oil in the frying pan so they brown nicely (you may need to do this in 2 batches) then arrange the pieces in the bottom of the ovenproof dish. Season with salt and freshly milled black pepper and sprinkle over the crushed juniper berries and chopped thyme. Now fry the onions and garlic a little bit (3-4 minutes) in the same pan, and scatter them round the pork with the pieces of prune tucked here and there. Next, arrange the apple slices all over and give them a very slight dusting of caster sugar. Finally, arrange the potato slices on top, making them overlap one another. Season with some more pepper and salt, dot with a few flecks of butter and pour in the cider. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 1½ hours. When the cooking time's up, remove the foil and cook for a further 50 minutes or so - or until the potatoes have turned a lovely golden brown.

COUNTRY FRENCH PORK WITH PRUNES AND APPLES

Steps:

• Mix flour, herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; rub over pork. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown roast on all sides. Place roast in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Add onions, apple cider, beef stock and bay leaves., Cook, covered, on low 3 hours. Add apples and dried plums. Cook, covered, on low 1 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until apples and pork are tender. Remove roast, onions, apples and plums to a serving platter, discarding bay leaves; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

COUNTRY FRENCH PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Season chops to taste with salt andpepper.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat and add chops. Cook until well browned on both sides but still pink in the center, 3-4 minutes per side.
• Remove from skillet, place on platter and cover.
• Add broth to skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits with a spoon.
• Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, prunes, and olives; simmer till sauce thickens, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Whisk in butter and parsley.
• Reduce flame to medium low; return chops and accumulated juices to skillet.
• Simmer, turning chops once or twice, until sauce clings and meat is completely cooked, 3-5 minutes.
• Serve at once.

APPLE AND PRUNE STUFFED PORK LOIN

Steps:

• Coat a large saute pan lightly with olive oil. Add the bacon and bring the pan to a medium heat. When the bacon is crispy and has released a lot of fat, add the onions and season with salt. Cook the onions until they are soft and aromatic, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the apples, prunes, and half the chopped rosemary. Cook the apples, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and add the brandy. Return to the fire and flambe, or let the alcohol just burn off. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Lay out a length of plastic wrap about 2-feet in length. Spoon the apple mixture onto the plastic and make a log down the center that is about the same length as the pork loin. Roll the plastic tightly around the apple mixture and twist at the ends to secure. The log should be about 1- inch in diameter. Place the log in the freezer and let it freeze solid. This can and should be done ahead of time.
• To stuff the pork: Insert a long, thin knife into the center of one end of the pork loin; repeat this process at the other end. Wiggle the knife back and forth to create a place big enough to accommodate your frozen stuffing log. After cutting with the knife, you can use the handle of a long wooden spoon to make sure the incision goes all the way through the pork loin.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Get the stuffing log from the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. Slide the stuffing log through the pork loin - it might need a little encouragement but it should go the length of the loin. Season the outside of the pork generously with salt and sprinkle it with the remaining chopped rosemary.
• Coat a roasting pan with olive oil and bring the pan to a high heat. Add the pork to the pan and sear it on all sides until it is brown.
• Remove the pork to a plate and ditch the fat in the roasting pan. Add the pork back to the pan pour in the chicken stock. Place it in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on how you like your pork. I personally like it pinker and would remove it from the oven when a meat thermometer reaches 130 degrees F. Turn it over halfway through the cooking time. Remove it from the oven, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving.

PORK STEW WITH PRUNES AND APPLES

Steps:

• In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the oil.
• Add in cubed pork; stir/saute for about 5 minutes or until browned.
• Add in onions, carrots, and garlic; saute for 2 minutes.
• Add in stock, sage, allspice, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil.
• Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Add in the potatoes and mushrooms; bring to a boil.
• Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
• Add in prunes and apples; simmer about 5-10 minutes or until meat, vegetables, and fruit are tender.
• For a thicker stew, blend flour and water in a cup.
• Stir mixture into stew for 2-3 minutes or until thickened.

PORK LOIN WITH APPLES, PRUNES, AND MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Halve pork loin crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown pork, 1 piece at a time, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes per piece. Transfer to a small flameproof roasting pan as browned (do not clean skillet) and roast pork until thermometer inserted diagonally at least 2 inches into meat registers 150°F, 40 to 50 minutes.
• While pork roasts, peel, quarter, and core apples, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet, then cook onion in skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add apples, prunes, broth, and water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep sauce warm, partially covered.
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir pan juices into cream sauce along with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 3/4 teaspoon pepper and heat sauce over moderate heat, stirring, until hot.
• Discard string from pork and cut each half crosswise into 4 slices. Serve pork with sauce.