Pork Loin Braised in Milk

Recipe for Preserved Crab Apples was in “The Dominion Post” 1 May 2004 and is also in “Ruth Pretty Cooking at Springfield” published by Penguin.

 If you do not have time to make the Crab Apple Jelly you can purchase it here 

INGREDIENTS

 2kg pork short loin

3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)

small bunch fresh thyme (destalked and leaves chopped)

10g (1 tbsp) flour

Maldon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 litre milk

15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil

10g (1 tbsp) unsalted butter

2 bay leaves

dash Tabasco

Crab Apple Jelly

Mustard Mash Potatoes

METHOD

 Preheat oven to 165ºC.

Combine garlic and thyme and smear over both sides of pork.  Using a small fine sieve dust both sides of pork with flour and season with salt and pepper.

Place milk in saucepan and bring to the boil.  Set aside.

In a heavy frypan, over a medium heat, place oil and butter to melt.  When foam has subsided sear meat on all sides.

Place pork in a roasting tray and pour heated milk over pork.  Add bay leaves and Tabasco.

Cover roasting tray with aluminium foil leaving one corner slightly ajar.

Place in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Increase heat to 180ºC and remove aluminium foil.  Continue to cook pork for another 30 minutes, or until cooked medium.  To check if pork is cooked insert a metal skewer into pork and count to 10.  Take skewer out of pork and hold tip of skewer against the inside of your wrist.  If the skewer is too hot for your wrist the meat is cooked.  Alternatively use a meat thermometer.

Remove pork from cooking liquid and place in a heated roasting tray.  Cover pork with aluminium foil and rest pork away from heat for at least 10 minutes, or for up to 30 minutes.

Pass cooking liquid through a sieve and place liquid in a shallow container in freezer.  When you are ready to serve pork, skim fat off cooking liquid.  (If cooking liquid has curdled whizz quickly in food processor.)  Reheat cooking liquid in microwave and taste for seasoning.

When you are ready to serve slice pork and arrange on platter.  Drizzle some of the cooking liquid over the pork, or alternatively place in a jug.

Garnish pork with Preserved Crab Apples and serve with accompanying bowl of Crab Apple Jelly.  Accompany with Mustard Mash Potatoes and rocket salad, green beans or broccoli.

Crab Apple Jelly

(makes approximately 2 x 300ml jars)

If you attempt to make jelly in quantities larger than this recipe, colour and flavour is easily compromised and the syrup can begin to caramelize before gelling is achieved.

INGREDIENTS

2kg ripe crab apples (leave stalks on)

Sugar

Cold water

METHOD

 To obtain juice

Roughly chop crab apples and place in preserving pan.  Include stalks and pips.  Barely cover crab apples with cold water.

Bring fruit to boil and simmer until fruit is very soft.

Place fruit pulp in muslin set over a bowl.  Tie corners of muslin together with string.  Suspend muslin bag above the bowl so juice can run freely.  You may have to rig up a stool or chair on a bench or table and tie the muslin bag to stool or chair.  Do not squeeze bag at any time otherwise juice will be cloudy.  Leave bag hanging for minimum of four hours or overnight.

Measure crab apple juice and record measurement.  At this stage you could freeze juice to make jelly later, or proceed to make jelly.

To make jelly

Pour juice into preserving pan and bring to boil.  If any scum forms skim it off top.  Place a saucer in freezer ready for gel test.

Measure one cup of sugar per cup of juice.  Reduce heat, add sugar to juice and stir to dissolve.  When sugar has dissolved bring syrup to boil rapidly and continue to boil until setting point has been reached.  Setting point will vary depending on variety and ripeness of crab apples, so do repeat tests.  Test by placing half-teaspoon syrup on saucer from freezer.  If syrup gels on cold saucer jelly is ready to be bottled.

Using a funnel, so jars remain clean on the outside, pour jelly into sterilized jars and seal.

Mustard Mash Potatoes

(serves 8-10)

If you wish also add butter or cream to these potatoes.  To add a little of the reheated cooking liquid from the pork is particularly delicious.

INGREDIENTS

1.6kg potatoes (Agria, Ilam Hardy or Frisia) (peeled and cut into even-sized pieces)

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp golden mustard seeds

30ml (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard

small bunch Italian parsley (chopped)

4 spring onions (white part chopped)

187.5ml (3/4 cup) chicken stock (heated)

Maldon sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Place potatoes into a saucepan and barely cover with boiling water.  Add salt.  Place lid on pot and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat and lift lid so it is slightly ajar on saucepan.  Simmer potatoes until they are fork-tender.

While potatoes are cooking place a small frypan onto a medium heat.  When hot add mustard seeds and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they begin to snap, crackle and pop.

Drain potatoes and mash.  Add mustard seeds, Dijon mustard, Italian parsley and spring onions, and combine using a wooden spoon.  Pour in chicken stock, stirring as you pour, until potatoes are the consistency you enjoy.  Add seasoning to taste.

Serve immediately.