Winter is drawing ever so close now and in terms of what's cooking in my pots this means slow roasts, more meat in general, I think, especially pork, which I don't eat very often, and comforting soups. Last weekend I tried out a pork dish which looks like it needs hours of cooking, yet it's quite quick to make... about 30-40 minutes, ideal for a Friday evening when you're too tired to go out, but need something to celebrate the weekend with.
Pork is a staple food in Austria which meant that as soon as I had my own kitchen to reign in I wouldn't really consider it very often. On top of that, I have found the quality of tenderloin you get here in the UK quite appalling, with the meat shrinking to half of its size in the pan and not properly browning because it contains so much water (I suspect injected maliciously by the producer/packager so he would get more money for less meat). Even at a local butcher's where I used to buy. Now Sainsbury's have introduced a Swedish pork fillet in their "Taste the Difference" range which is really very nice. I hear you say it's unethical to ship food around the world so much and also not to support the local industry - but when it gets to what I have on my plate, I want it to be excellent quality, no matter what the price and I don't care who produced it. If local suppliers aren't up to scratch, then Hurray to Swedish pig farmers!
Moving swiftly on... the dish, which is based on a recipe from Olive magazine, is a brilliant autumn treat with a fruity, yet tangy compote of apples and red onions in a mustard gravy. A few years ago a read Ruth Reichel's "Comfort me with apples" and now I know what she meant. The sweet and tart of this fruit gives me the ultimate feeling of having arrived, being back home on my sofa, comfortably wrapped in a cosy blanket while the rain hammers down against the windows...
Pork fillet with red onion & apple sauce
(serves 3)
500 g pork fillet (trimmed)
olive oil
2 large red onions (cut in ca. 2 mm slices)
3 Cox (or other tart) apples (cored and cut into wedges, skin on)
2 tbsp dijon mustard
200 ml white wine
For the celeriac-potato mash:
1 celeriac (ca. 300 g) - diced
2 large potatoes (ca. 300 g) - diced
75 g butter
some milk
Cook the celeriac and potatoes in a large pot with salt water, for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Season the pork fillet with salt and pepper, then cook it in some olive oil for about 10 minutes until sealed and browned from all sides. Transfer to a plate and rest in the warm oven (ca. 150 C) for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, soften the onions in the same pan, then add the apples. Cook until the onions are starting to brown, then add the mustard and wine. Cook on high until the liquid turns into a reasonably thick gravy.
When the celeriac and potatoes are tender, drain and add the butter, keep covered until the butter has melted. Mash up finely and season to taste, adding some milk to achieve the desired consistency.
Cut the fillet up into ca. 2.5 cm slices and arrange on plates, on some of the mash, then spoon over the apple and onion, with enough of the mustard gravy around.
Serve with a rocket salad, if you like.
This looks really delicious :) I personally love pork as it is a meat that is slightly sweet... would choose it over chicken any day! Thanks for the recipe! :)
Posted by: spots | Oct 21, 2004 at 11:53 AM
lovin that recipe. Been browsing the net for inspiration for a bit of pork fillet we got at the farmers' market last saturday (so hopefully it won't shrink away to nothing) and this fits the bill entirely. Autumny goodness, hurrah. I also happen to love celeriac.
And you posted the recipe on my 21st Birthday. So generally this is a good omen for tomorrow night's tea!
Posted by: laputain | Oct 10, 2007 at 09:38 PM