Pork With Braised Cabbage Recipe

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A perfect winter dish. Fragrant with juniper and caraway, the cabbage is braised in cider, then topped with meaty spare rib pork chops. Serve it with buttery mash for a warming midweek supper. If you find caraway too strong for your taste, try fennel instead – another spice that works well with cabbage and pork.

Ingredients

1 large onion

50g/2oz pork dripping or lard

750g/1lb 10oz white cabbage

1 medium cooking apple (about 200g/7oz)

1 tsp juniper berries

1 tsp caraway seeds

500ml/18fl oz dry cider

4 pork chops (each weighing about 200g/7oz)

1 tbsp oil

1 chicken stock cube

mashed potatoes, to serve

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.

Amy Sinclair

Amy Sinclair is the editor of New Idea Food. She is a former weekly magazine editor who loves all things food, cooking and eating - especially the eating! When she's not looking after her three children, you'll find her in the kitchen or busily hiding online shopping purchases from her husband.