The slow cooker is my saviour on days when I am busy or feeling lazy. Every one should own one. It was time to dust mine off and get it ready for trouble free cooking over the long winter months. I use it for curries, chilies, stews and pot roasts. The flavours always astound me and I nearly always make twice as much as I need. Even though I love to cook it's nice to have a day off once in a while.
I was excited that the pork chops were on sale so I got twice as many as I needed and so I decided to make a double batch of this dish. I cooked it for about 6 hours in the slow cooker. The aromas were making me salivate well before dinner time. And if you can hold off till the following day it will taste even better.
So here we go! Open up your bottle of wine, pour yourself a generous glassful, turn on the radio and get into the zen of cooking. And if you have any Halloween candy left send it this way.
Cider - braised pork
8 medium pork chops,
2 tbsp vegetable oil,
2 large carrots peeled and sliced thinly,
2 cups of diced butternut squash,
2 onions, peeled and sliced,
15 whole black peppercorns,
5 whole cloves,
1 cinnamon stick,
3 cups of fresh apple cider,
1 cup of water,
2 knorr ham stock cubes (use chicken if you can't find ham cubes)
5 large bay leaves
6 Sage leaves,
1 head of garlic split in half horizontally,
1/4 cup cornflour,
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan ( I used my cast iron fry pan).
Season the pork with salt and pepper.
Seal the meat in the oil on both sides till it has just turned brown.
Place all the vegetables, garlic, herbs and spices in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Place the browned meat on top of the vegetables.
Now add the cider to the still hot frying pan and bring it to the boil. This picks up all the flavour left in the pan.
Now add it to the crock pot with the water and stock cubes.
Simmer for 6 - 8 hours on high.
Thicken the braised pork dish with cornflour.
This dish is Oh My God WOW! I kid you not my friends.
Bon appetite!
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