Braised cabbage with pork

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
Cook cabbage in cider, with juniper and caraway, top with pan-fried spare rib pork chops and bake for a warming, hearty supper

Prep:15 mins
Cook:1 hrs 10 mins

Serves 4
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 624
fat 41g
saturates 13g
carbs 20g
sugars 19g
fibre 7g
protein 32g
salt 1g

Ingredients

1 large onion
50g pork dripping or lard
750g white cabbage
1 medium cooking apple (about 200g)
1 tsp juniper berries
1 tsp caraway seeds
500ml dry cider
4 pork chops (each weighing about 200g)
1 tbsp oil
1 chicken stock cube
mashed potatoes, to serve

Tip

White cabbage

Dense and crunchy, this is a winter staple. Finely sliced or shredded and added to carrot and onions, it is the basis of a homemade coleslaw – we like to toss in diced cranberries and mixed seeds. Boiled cabbage has a bad reputation – though you can stop it smelling out your kitchen by adding 1 tsbp bicarbonate of soda to the cooking water. We think it should be cooked al dente – about 4-6 minutes. Another option is to stew sliced cabbage in butter and oil, covered, until ‘melted’ (about half an hour). We start the process by frying an onion and tossing in caraway seeds or crushed juniper berries.

Method

Finely slice the onion and put it and the dripping in a heavy-based, flameproof casserole dish. Fry the onion over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 5 mins.
Cut the core from the cabbage and finely slice the leaves. Add this to the dish and toss everything together, cooking over a low heat while you peel and slice the apple.
Crush the juniper and caraway seeds together and add these and the apple slices to the pan. Season and pour in the cider. Stir well and bring to a simmer, cover the dish and cook for 20 mins.
Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 4. Season the chops on both sides. Heat a heavy-based frying pan on a medium-high heat with the oil and brown the chops on both sides. Remove from the pan and place in the casserole dish on top of the cabbage, adding the stock cube, crumbling it over. Put the lid back on and cook in the oven for a further 30 mins. If there is a lot of liquid in the dish, place on the hob and simmer until it evaporates a little. Check the seasoning and serve with mashed potato.