Braised Pork and Apple Stew

This tastey stew is perfect for a snowy day, and comes together very quickly.  I loved the added flavouring of the mustard.  The apples didn't stay firm, but I think it's because I didn't use Gala apples as called for in the recipe.

BRAISED PORK AND APPLE STEW
from Woman's Day Magazine, Feb 2008

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 lb), cut into 1 1/2-in. chunks
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 Gala apples, cored and each cut into 8 wedges
8 very small red potatoes, halved
1 cup baby carrots
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp honey-Dijon mustard

Heat oil in 5- to 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. While oil heats, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper and coat with flour. Cook pork 4 minutes until browned, turning once; remove to a plate.

Add broth, apples, potatoes, carrots and thyme to pot and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in pork and mustard. Cover and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until pork is just cooked through.

Printable Recipe

Happily shared on Family Friendly Fridays over at Mommy Cooks! (go have a look at the yummy caramel apple cake she made today.. mmmm)

Enjoy!


from "The Book of Knowledge, The Children's Encyclopedia"
1954, The Grolier Society, Inc.

Recipe: Pork Roast with Apples (Slow Cooker)

I stumbled across this recipe yesterday around 4pm. I was frantically looking for a recipe for supper as I bought a Pork Sirloin Roast on sale that I wanted to cook.

Buying this went against the Eat-From-The-Pantry Challenge as I'm only supposed to eat out of my freezer this month. I was, honestly, just too lazy to defrost something and saw the roast on sale for only $2.43!! I was disciplined enough to skip over the other wonderful meat sales and managed to get only one thing. This, my friends, is a success for me! My deep freeze is always bursting with meat because every time I go to Price Chopper they have some reduced for quick sale. My lesson learned must be to stop buying until I finish what's in my freezer... especially when I already have a pork roast in there waiting to be eaten (ahem).

So, about this incredible recipe I found yesterday. This comes from a post over at Lucy's Kitchen - Crockpot Pot Roast. I love this blog as she has lots of pictures and she must cook like a fiend as she's got a ton a recipe's and they're all well organized and easy to search through.

I was a little reluctant to try this recipe at first as it was already 4pm and it's supposed to be made in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours. My roast was only 1.44lbs so I went for it and hoped for the best. Roasting it for 20min on 500 degrees to seal in the juices was a great idea. I think it made a big difference in the taste. Then I sliced the apples, put them in the slow cooker, added the seared roast, put thinly sliced white onions on top, then the sauce. I put my slow cooker on high and let it cook from 5-7pm. At 7pm I inserted a thermometer and couldn't believe it read 170 degrees -done!

This was good enough for a Sunday dinner or for very special company. I told my hubby that he should feel so lucky for having such a fancy meal on a Wednesday night! Like Lucy said in her post, I do think this is the best pork roast I've ever had!

PORK ROAST WITH APPLES

2-3lb Pork Roast (mine was 1.44lb Pork Sirloin Roast)

Salt

Pepper

4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used Johnathan apples)

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I used white onion)

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup apple juice

~ Trim excess fat from roast and season with salt and pepper. Preheat over to 500 degrees and cook for 20min. to seal in juices.

~ Spray bottom of slow cooker and add chopped apples.

~ In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, ground ginger, cinnamon, applesauce and apple juice. Set aside.

~ Chop onion and set aside.

~ Place roasted Pork Roast on top of apples, top with onions and sauce.

~ Cook on Low 6-8 hours until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. (My 1.44lb roast cooked 2 hours on high and was done).

RECIPE UPDATE 13-March-2010 ~ I peeled then cut-up sweet potatoes and added these on top of the apples, then put the pork roast on top.  It was delicious and made for a heartier meal.

Printable Recipe

This would've been good served with peas or a side salad. We have no leftovers and ate the whole thing!

Happily submitted to the Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom where the Eat-From-The-Pantry Challenge continues! Go see what everyone is cooking!

Recipe: Savory Pork Stew

June 2, 2010 Update: a better photo & I replaced the green peppers with peas - delicious!

Don't you just love it when a recipe turns out? Then, isn't it great when it turns out delicious, healthy and much better than you expected? Well this Savory Pork Stew is just that dish! This week I had already made two not-so-good dinner's with a taco soup that was too hot and slow cooker beans with not enough sauce.

The whole house smelled wonderful when it was simmering because of the herbs in the stew. When it was ready, the pork stew meat (which I took from our deep freeze per the Eat-from-the-pantry Challenge) was so tender that it fell apart when you cut into it. The sauce was delicious and not overpowering. We had bread with our meal and everyone dipped their bread in the leftover sauce at the bottom of our bowls.

I had to make a few substitutes (which can really ruin a recipe sometimes) with canned mushrooms, fresh rosemary and frozen peppers. It worked beautifully. The spagetti sauce I used was Bertolli Organic Olive Oil, Basil and Garlic.

You can find this great recipe and many more over at Taste of Home.

SAVORY PORK STEW

from Taste of Home

1 pound lean bonesless pork, cut into 1" cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
1 can (16 oz.) no-salt-added tomatoe sauce
2 cups sliced carrots
1 medium green pepper (or green peas), chopped
1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms

Place pork in a dutch oven that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cook over medium heat until browned. Add onion, seasonings, water and tomato sauce; bring to boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until the vegetables ae tender, about 30 minutes. Yield: 5 servings.

Printable Recipe

Enjoy!