A warming pork recipe with Devon cider
A couple of weeks ago I cooked this at a demonstration marking the opening of the Kitchen Studio in Exmouth. And then last Friday I was reminded of it at the wassailing evening at The Lamb in Sandford. This old Devon ceremony is held to encourage a good apple harvest and involves 'watering' an apple tree with cider and shouting to keep evil spirits away from the orchard trees.
To encourage the apple trees I cooked this warming dish which uses a local cider, preferbly Sandford Orchards' scrumpy, which has lovely layers of flavour and cooks very well. (It also 'drinks' quite well!)
Ingredients 4 pork chops 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 or 3 finely chopped shallots 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 200 ml local cider (e.g. Sandford Orchards) 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard 2 tablespoons double cream 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice Method- Heat the oven to 180 C.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan. Season the pork chops with salt & pepper.
- Fry the chops for about 4 minutes either side and then cook in the oven for about 5 minutes.
- In the same frying pan that you used to cook the pork simmer the cider and pan juices for about 2 minutes. Then add the mustard, cream and lemon juice and simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Add the pork chops and heat through.
- Serve with a rich mash, made with root vegetables.
