Well this is an extremely exciting moment for me. Recipe Number 400!! That is a whole lot of foodie love, a hell of a lot of eating, cooking, writing, insomnia and a lot of blood, burns, sweat & tears. There have been a few failures along the way and I have to say that since the start of this food obsession of mine, my skills in the kitchen have improved somewhat and I can happily say that the successes far outweigh the failures. So happy to be able to share this moment with you and I have realised my main goal for this website is to get people cooking healthy, interesting food. We are blessed my friends, with an abundance of fresh produce, a melting pot of cultures and the ability to be able to source recipes and ingredients from around the globe with a few clicks on a keyboard. I am right now thanking my lucky stars!
So…..onto recipe number 400 (I get all tingly just writing that). Slow cooked pork, pancetta and sage in a rich, white wine laced gravy. Fabulous. Topped with a creamy parsnip mash. Fabulouser (I just made up that word). The ingredient that really made this dish (in my eyes) is the little pieces of apple that gave the dish the perfect balance.
Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 3 Hours $$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
800gm of pork scotch fillet, cut into 2.5cm pieces
8 slices of flat pancetta, chopped
1/2 a bunch of sage, stems removed and chopped finely
1 green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 large brown onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
11/2 tbs of plain flour
1 cup of dry white wine
11/2 cups of chicken stock
1 tbs of good quality balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the Parsnip Mash:
2 large parsnips, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 medium cream delight potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
40gm of butter
100ml of pure cream
Sea salt and pepper
1 tbs of chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top
Heat a large heavy based pan and add a little oil. Brown the pork in batches, on all sides until golden and caramelised. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, fry the pancetta until golden. Remove from the pan and then fry the onion until soft. Add the garlic and sage leaves, fry for a couple of minutes and then add the chopped apple. Stir to combine and then return the pork and pancetta to the pan. Sprinkle over the flour and allow the flour to cook for a minute or so in the pan juices. Don’t worry if the bottom of the pan is brown and caramelised. Add the wine, balsamic and stock and use a wooden spoon to lift all of that goodness from the bottom. Season with a little salt and a good sprinkling of pepper and stir on a low heat until the sauce starts to thicken and simmer. Place a tight fitting lid on and cook for 11/2 hours (still on a low heat), stirring occasionally. Lift the lid from the pan and allow the sauce to reduce for another 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Place the parsnips and potatoes in a large pot of salted water. Pop a lid on and bring to the boil for 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain and roughly mash with a potato masher before using a wooden spoon to beat in the butter, cream and sage. Season well with salt and pepper.
Use a large pie dish or 4 small individual pie dishes. Place the pork mixture in the bottom of the dish/dishes and then top with the creamy mash. Use a fork to spread the mash to the edges and top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden. Allow the pies to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating as they will be piping hot. Serve with steamed greens.