Pork Casserole with Fennel
Pork is very reasonably priced at the moment, and the Pork Farmers certainly need our support. Here is a recipe with that in mind. We used Pork tenderloin which is a cut of pork full of flavour and very lean. Chopped up and flavoured with Fennel, the dish will go a long way to feed a family of four. Serve it with rice or small roast potatoes and it is absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS:–
500g of Pork Tenderloin, cut into slices, thick or thin
Plain Flour, mixed with tsp. turmeric, tsp. rosemary, salt and pepper
Yellow Pepper, de seeded and chopped into small pieces
Use a large fennel bulb, chopped
8-10 soft apricots
splash of garlic granules or chopped garlic (1 clove)
Butter, a good cube
A tablespoon or 2 of oil (you may need more)
1 vegetable stock cube – dissolved in 300 ml water
A slug of cider vinegar, a slug of red wine (to de-glaze your pan)
METHOD:-
Using your ElectricKit Aga, turn your hob to no.8. Keep the lid down for the hob to reach optimum heat, after about 10 minutes, lift the lid and it will be ready to cook. (Remember to close the lid and turn off the hob after cooking to protect the thermostat ).
Meanwhile, cover your Pork Tenderloin cubes with the seasoned flour mixture, shake and set aside. When you are ready, brown the pieces of pork with the garlic and set them aside.
Add more oil and brown the chopped pepper and Fennel. Scatter in the apricots and garlic and set aside. De-Glaze your pan with a good cube of butter and the cider vinegar. Now add the Pork, the Fennel, the apricots and chopped pepper back into the pan. Mix it all together. Introduce the stock to the ingredients, adjust the seasoning and add a slug of red wine. Bring up to boiling and then cover your pan with a lid. Slide your pan into the simmering oven. Leave the pork dish to simmer away for about 2 hours. (You can use your top roasting oven as a simmer oven. Turn your digital temperature to 130 degrees.)
However, if you are cooking other dishes, turn your roasting oven to the required temperature and use your bottom oven as a simmering oven (It should be 120 – 130 degrees if your top oven is reading 180 degrees.)
When the dish is ready, i.e. tender pork and a good tasting sauce, add some double cream and serve with rice and salad or roast or jacket potatoes.