Dave'sWife
Cook
this is a variation on a family recipe of mine - pork & apple stew is a common Irish dish. I'm copying and pasting this from an article I wrote for an irish-American Website - pardon it's wordiness - it's directed at younger women of Irish-heritage who may not have much cooking experience.
Baked Pork & Apple Stew with Spiced Cream
You will need a deep dish casserole or baking dish for this recipe and a turkey baster. One could also easily adapt this to be made in a slow cooker, in which case you will not need to slice the chops into thinner pieces.
Baked Pork & Apple Stew with Spiced Cream
Ingredients:
3 thick Boneless Porch chops. (at least 1 to 2 inches thick)
3 large Gala or Fuji Apples or.. any firm meat apple - not Macintosh (you can use dried apple rings if you have to)
3 large Russet potatoes, well-scrubbed but not peeled.
1 very large yellow or brown Onion.
Salt & pepper for seasoning the chops
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Vegetable Stock (or 1 cube bouillon mixed in 1 cup water)
3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon ground Ginger (fresh would be too strong)
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon White pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Chili Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees. Take the Liquid ingredients and mix with the sugar and spices in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Take your 3 thick Pork-Chops and gently slice them in half so they are about 1/2 inch thick-no less. Season with a little salt and black pepper..set aside.
Scrub the potatoes clean but leave the skins on. Slice your potatoes into quarter inch, round slices and set aside in a bowl of cold water.
Scrub the apples and slice off the bottom horizontally and the slice up the apples into rounds, as opposed to wedges, again about 1/4 inch thick or less. When you do it this way, the seeds poke out very easily. You needn't worry about the bit of the core, it gets very tender as it cooks. Just make sure there are no seeds left in the slices. Set aside in a bowl with cold water.
Peel your very large onion and slice it horizontally into rounds and separate the rings. Set aside.
Spray your casserole or baking dish with a baking spray such as Pam. Layer some Onions on the bottom and then ladle some of the spiced cream and stock over the onions. About a quarter cup. Next add a layer of potato rounds followed by apple slices. Then add another half cup of the spiced Cream & stick mixture evenly over the layers. Next, gently lay chops on top followed by another layer of onions. Ladle another quarter cup of the spiced cream. Add another layer of potatoes and apples which should bring you to the top of your dish. Ladle the remainder of the spiced cream over this.
Put the dish into the oven with a cookie sheet beneath it to catch any bubble-over. It should take about an hour or so, maybe even an hour and a half depending upon the thickness of the chops. Every 20 minutes, use the turkey baster to baste the top of the casserole in the hot spiced cream mixture as it cooks. About ten minutes before it's done you can dust the top layer with a little extra sprinkle of Nutmeg for an added flair. You'll know when it's done.
You can serve this in its cooking dish if you like or you can transfer it to a large platter and serve the spiced Cream on the side as a gravy. I prefer to thicken the cream using either Arrowroot powder, cornstarch or a rue and serve it in a gravy boat next to the platter of Stew. It's up to you. Serving it in the dish is fine too. Some kind of Green veggie would go nice such as Steamed Spinach. I usually make White Cheddar Biscuits to go along with the Stew and to sop up the spiced cream.
This is a wonderfully easy and hearty dish, usually favoured by men. It may sound odd, what with the sugar and the apples, but trust me, it's delicious. It's not very sweet. The sugar just helps the onions develop a nice flavor and it helps take the tang out of the ginger. it makes the kitchen smell heavenly. A good dish for a chilly evening. The dish originates from Armagh.
Baked Pork & Apple Stew with Spiced Cream
You will need a deep dish casserole or baking dish for this recipe and a turkey baster. One could also easily adapt this to be made in a slow cooker, in which case you will not need to slice the chops into thinner pieces.
Baked Pork & Apple Stew with Spiced Cream
Ingredients:
3 thick Boneless Porch chops. (at least 1 to 2 inches thick)
3 large Gala or Fuji Apples or.. any firm meat apple - not Macintosh (you can use dried apple rings if you have to)
3 large Russet potatoes, well-scrubbed but not peeled.
1 very large yellow or brown Onion.
Salt & pepper for seasoning the chops
1 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Cup Vegetable Stock (or 1 cube bouillon mixed in 1 cup water)
3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon ground Ginger (fresh would be too strong)
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon White pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Chili Pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees. Take the Liquid ingredients and mix with the sugar and spices in a mixing bowl and set aside.
Take your 3 thick Pork-Chops and gently slice them in half so they are about 1/2 inch thick-no less. Season with a little salt and black pepper..set aside.
Scrub the potatoes clean but leave the skins on. Slice your potatoes into quarter inch, round slices and set aside in a bowl of cold water.
Scrub the apples and slice off the bottom horizontally and the slice up the apples into rounds, as opposed to wedges, again about 1/4 inch thick or less. When you do it this way, the seeds poke out very easily. You needn't worry about the bit of the core, it gets very tender as it cooks. Just make sure there are no seeds left in the slices. Set aside in a bowl with cold water.
Peel your very large onion and slice it horizontally into rounds and separate the rings. Set aside.
Spray your casserole or baking dish with a baking spray such as Pam. Layer some Onions on the bottom and then ladle some of the spiced cream and stock over the onions. About a quarter cup. Next add a layer of potato rounds followed by apple slices. Then add another half cup of the spiced Cream & stick mixture evenly over the layers. Next, gently lay chops on top followed by another layer of onions. Ladle another quarter cup of the spiced cream. Add another layer of potatoes and apples which should bring you to the top of your dish. Ladle the remainder of the spiced cream over this.
Put the dish into the oven with a cookie sheet beneath it to catch any bubble-over. It should take about an hour or so, maybe even an hour and a half depending upon the thickness of the chops. Every 20 minutes, use the turkey baster to baste the top of the casserole in the hot spiced cream mixture as it cooks. About ten minutes before it's done you can dust the top layer with a little extra sprinkle of Nutmeg for an added flair. You'll know when it's done.
You can serve this in its cooking dish if you like or you can transfer it to a large platter and serve the spiced Cream on the side as a gravy. I prefer to thicken the cream using either Arrowroot powder, cornstarch or a rue and serve it in a gravy boat next to the platter of Stew. It's up to you. Serving it in the dish is fine too. Some kind of Green veggie would go nice such as Steamed Spinach. I usually make White Cheddar Biscuits to go along with the Stew and to sop up the spiced cream.
This is a wonderfully easy and hearty dish, usually favoured by men. It may sound odd, what with the sugar and the apples, but trust me, it's delicious. It's not very sweet. The sugar just helps the onions develop a nice flavor and it helps take the tang out of the ginger. it makes the kitchen smell heavenly. A good dish for a chilly evening. The dish originates from Armagh.
