Savoury Apple Porkie!

Ingredients

3 shallots

2 onions

4 washed apples – I used Brae burn, but Coxes would also be good, you’re looking for a sharpish eating apple.

400 gms pork mince

splash of oil

herbs – sage and rosemary

spices – bayleaf, half a cinnamon stick, 5 – 6 cloves, grating of nutmeg.

1 bottle of cider – mine was Magners,  again you’re looking for a sharp drinking cider.

An ovenproof casserole dish that will hold all of your apples with a little space around for the onions and mince.

Heat the oven to 170 – 180 degrees C, gas 3 – 4, 350 degrees F.

Method

Peel and slice the shallots finely. Add them to a frying pan, with a glug of oil, and a good grating of nutmeg. 

Fry them gently over a low heat – you do not want the shallots to brown or burn. If any do, fish them out,  and discard.

Make the herb bundle. 

I buy cheesecloth from the fabric store to make these, but a new Jcloth is just as good, or Lakeland sell squares of muslin very reasonably. If you use muslin (which is cheesecloth by another name) it can be washed and dried for additional use, but a Jcloth will not keep and must be thrown away after use.  A square of approximately 6 inches square will suffice, put the bayleaf, cloves and half a cinamon stick into the centre, gather the ends and tie firmly.

Increase the heat, and add the pork mince. Add a third of the bottle of cider, the steam will help to cook the mince, and add the herb bundle.

Saute the pork for a good ten minutes over a medium heat. Again, be careful none burns. Turn regularly with a spatula.

Season the pork with salt and pepper.  Put aside to rest.

Core your apples. There are tools you can buy that will make coring a relatively easy process, but it can be done safely with a knife if you take care. Halve the apple horizontally, place on a firm and secure board (a damp teatowel underneath will secure a slippy board) and cut 4 lines into the apple around the core. Ensure the lines meet at the corners. Pick up your half of apple and using your thumbs, push the core out. Halve and core four apples.

Slice two onions thinly, and scatter in the base of a good oven casserole dish with a well fitting lid. Add the herb bundle centrally to the uncooked onions, add another small splash of oil and put on a low heat to saute the onions.  When they are pale and translucent add the bottom halves of your apples.

Place a small sage leaf inside each apple’s central cavity. Spoon the mince into the hole and scatter remaining mince over the top of the apples. 

Place a sprig of rosemary centrally over the herb bundle – and there’s no reason why you couldn’t add the rosemary and sage to the bundle if you don’t like the herbs in your final dish and want to make sure you get them all out – then top with the top halves of the apples. Place another small sage leaf into the cavity, and ensure that the top half of each apple is also stuffed with pork mince. 

Season the casserole again, and place a dot of butter over the top of each stuffed centre. If liked, add another small sage leaf – sage is a strong herb though, and if you’ve never used it, or the kids aren’t that keen on strong tastes, I would perhaps leave it off, or put a single leaf in with the rosemary.  Add the remaining cider, put the lid on and place in the oven for 1 hour.

When the dish is cooked, the apples will be softened, but still hold together. There will be plenty of gravy, which will be sweet, and flavoured with the apples, herbs and spices.  The flavour is very traditional English, and reminiscent of Medieval cookery where fruits and meat were more typically mixed.  Whilst I won’t bore you with the costs, I made this four portion casserole for approximately £1.50 a head, and as I’m on my own, two of the portions will be deep frozen for supper. It would make an excellent family supper, and I’m intending to eat mine with some roast potatoes I have left over and broccoli – I expect the sweetness of the casserole to lighten the often strong taste of broccoli, and the gravy will be wonderful mopped up with a forkful of potato.  I also think this would eat well with rice or noodles. It is of course a great meal for someone who likes a well flavoured casserole but is not overly fond of garlic!