Experience the Magic of Tender Pork and Crisp Apples, Perfectly Balanced
Are you ready to embark on a culinary journey that tantalizes your taste buds and leaves you craving more? Look no further than our delightful Apple Pork recipe—a harmonious blend of savory pork, crisp apples, and a medley of spices that will elevate your dining experience to new heights. Picture succulent pork loin infused with the sweet essence of gala apples, complemented by tender baby carrots and a splash of apple cider. As the aroma fills your kitchen and anticipation builds, you know you're in for a culinary masterpiece. Join us as we explore the art of creating savory delights and discover how simple ingredients can come together to create extraordinary flavors.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons shortening
Pork loin (1.5 lb)
2 large gala apples, sliced
10-15 baby carrots, halved
2/3 cup apple cider (any brand, hard cider or non-alcoholic)
One tablespoon lemon juice
One tablespoon honey
Salt
Pepper
one teaspoon fennel
one teaspoon smoked paprika
two teaspoons dried parsley
one teaspoon dried basil
Tools
Measuring cups and spoons
Knife
Cutting board
Shallow dishes
Tongs
Heavy oven-safe skillet
Meat thermometer
We know you're probably tired of hearing this, but... wash your produce. We never know when we'll have a new reader, so it's better to be safe and add it at the beginning each time.
Do not peel the apples. Cut your lovely clean gala apples into half-inch slices and discard the core. Set them aside in a dish and sprinkle them with a very minimal amount of salt, then add enough water to cover them so they won't brown up on you while you take care of other things.
Take your baby carrots and halve them longways, and set them aside as well.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Mix together your measured paprika, fennel, and parsley. Add a little salt and pepper (to taste), then use this blend of spices to season the pork. Make sure you get some all the way around the loin. Let it sit with the spices while you move to your skillet.
Place the skillet on the stovetop and set the heat to medium. Drop in your shortening and allow it to melt. If you're working with an oversized skillet, you can add some extra shortening to ensure you'll have enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Once it's melted and you've got a good sizzle on, move the pork from the cutting board (or in our case, plate*) to the skillet.
Add the carrots, distributing them around both sides of the pork, then drain your apples and place them in with the carrots. You can give them a little stir, but don't disturb the pork at this stage. Cut the heat.
Don some oven mitts and move the skillet from the stovetop to the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes. We like to use this time to clean the cutting board so we can use it again when it's time to rest the cooked pork.
When your 15 minutes are up, remove the skillet from the oven, flip the pork and stir the apples and carrots. Slowly pour 1/3 cup of cider over the whole thing at this point, sprinkle with the dried basil, and return it to the oven for another 15 minutes.
After the next 15 minute window is done, take everything out of the oven again and use your meat thermometer to test the pork. Make sure the center of the thickest part of the roast is at least 145 degrees. If it isn't, put everything back into the oven and cook it a few minutes longer. No sense ruining everyone's week with food poisoning.
After the pork loin has definitely reached 145 degrees, remove it from the pan and let it rest.
Put the pan full of apples, carrots and cider back onto the burner over medium-low heat. Add your remaining 1/3 cup of cider, the honey and the lemon juice. Stir to make sure everything is incorporated. Allow it to simmer for five minutes.
While the pan is simmering, return to your pork loin and chop it into pieces an inch or two across. Toss the pork in with the apples and carrots, stir everything to coat in the cider mixture, and be ready to enjoy.
* - we spill spices if we work on the cutting board and prefer to have the rim of the plate to slow us down)
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