Warming Pork and Cider Casserole

Warming Pork and Cider Casserole

Ingredients

1kg pork shoulder, chopped into bite size pieces

200g bacon lardons

400ml chicken stock

400g shallots, peeled

1 onion

2 celery sticks

100ml creme fraiche 

2 tbsp dijon mustard

Butter and olive oil for frying

Handful of freshly chopped tarragon

Around 300ml medium-dry cider

1 tbsp cornflour 

Method 

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the pork in a couple of batches, browning each batch for around 8 mins. Remove each batch from the pan with a slotted spoon onto a plate. 
2. Add the whole shallots and cook until browned and transfer to a plate.
3. At the same time, fry the bacon in a large casserole dish with a dash of olive oil until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate. 
4. Chop the onion and celery and add into the casserole dish with a good chunk of butter, cooking until softened. 
5. Add the bacon, pork, stock and cider to the dish, bring to the boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for around an hour. 
6. Add the shallots and cook for another 1 – 1 ½ hours until the pork is tender. 
7. Mix cornflour with a splash of cider and add to the casserole, stirring to thicken the sauce.
8. After 5 mins, mix in the creme fraiche, mustard and tarragon, season and serve.