Jono & Jules do food & wine

This is really a beef bourguignon recipe but the beef and wine have been replaced by pork and cider. A great crowd pleaser!

Wine Suggestion: This dish, naturally, goes with the cider used in the cooking, but we had none left after Jono scoffed the remainder of the bottle while cooking. Instead we opened the flavour-packed Chenin Blanc from Chateau Hureau, their Saumur Blanc Argile. A wine that’s delicious and vibrant in youth, but tonight one from the cellar and 6 years old. Still wonderful fruit but layers of extra development and texture; worth the wait.

Pork & cider casserole – serves 4-6

• 25g butter
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 350g small shallots, peeled (if you have bigger ones just halve them)
• 100g cubed pancetta
• 700g stewing pork, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 50g seasoned plain flour
• 750ml dry cider
• 150ml chicken stock
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• a few fresh sage leaves
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, halve or quarter any large ones
• 2 tbsp brandy

Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3.

Heat half the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and fry until starting to brown, then add the pancetta and fry until lightly browned. Remove the shallots and pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Put the pork pieces into a bag or large tub with the seasoned flour. Shake until well coated, then remove and shake any excess flour off the meat. Fry the pork in the same pan until golden all over. Transfer to a oven-proof casserole with a lid.

Add a little cider to the frying pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any tasty bits, then pour this over the pork with the rest of the cider and the stock, carrots, celery, bay leaves and sage. Add the shallots and pancetta and season. Give it all a stir, then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

About half way through, heat the rest of the oil and butter in the frying pan and cook the mushrooms until lightly browned. Add the brandy and cook for another few minutes, then stir into the casserole and return to the oven for the remaining time.

Season to taste and serve with green veg and potatoes or bread.

(Original recipe from Neven Maguire’s Complete Family Cookbook, Gill Books, 2016.)