I hope you enjoyed the butternut squash soup recipe! I certainly enjoyed eating it.
I alluded to a dinner that we hosted two weeks ago in my last post. The hubby and I had some friends come over for a wonderful fall themed meal. I got super excited because I love fall!!!! You knew this already but it wont stop me for telling you over and over again. FALL IS MY FAVORITE. Yes, Caps Lock was necessary. I have to be careful because I am starting to feel like I might have an unhealthy relationship with fall. I am finding myself becoming more and more a fan of an ploy to get me to eat something with pumpkin and/or apple. I think I found a way to use apple in everything I make now (including this!).
I wanted to break this post up into two parts, really it should be three if you include the soup. Our friends are also foodies and since I know how much they like to cook I knew I had to ask them to share something with us. I am hoping that the pt. 2 of this post will include the delicious contribution they made to the meal which was simple yet exciting since it involved taking things I might have thought of as weeds and making them a yummy side to the pork roast.
Not Related but Still Relevant Side Note: I just watched an episode of Master Chef Junior and now I feel like maybe I suck at cooking. I mean, I liked to cook as a kid (duh!) but no one was teaching me how to make pasta from scratch or how to cook using a pressure cooker. I think my parents have some explaining to do…
This dish turned out really well and I got to use delicious apples straight from the farm. In pt. 2 you’ll get a glimpse at the dessert I made to complete the meal. Hint: It has apples in it!
Ingredients
- 1 2.5 Lb. Pork Roast
- 1 Shallot Minced
- 1 Apple Peeled and Diced (Tart is good)
- 1 1/2 Cup Apple Cider
- 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Tbsp. Oil
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 325. Season your pork with salt and pepper. In a Dutch Oven or Roasting Pan with lid add your oil and allow it to coat the bottom of the pot over medium heat. Once heated, sear all sides of your pork roast until it gets a nice golden color, don't worry if some sticks to the pan. Once seared remove the pork from the pot and place on a plate. Keep the pan on the heat and add you minced shallots along with your cider vinegar. Try to scrape all the pork bits from the bottom the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer until the cider vinegar has reduced by half. Once reduced add your apple cider and apples to the pot along with the bay leaf. Stir until the mixture starts to simmer. Return your pork to the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven. If your liquid does not cover the pork roast make sure to rotate it every 20 minutes to ensure even cooking. Cook at 325 for 1 hour or until the pork registers at least 145 when you insert a thermometer. Once done allow the pork to rest. You can saute some of the braising liquid and apples with a little butter to make a sauce for the roast. Slice and enjoy!
I raise you glazed apple, onion, rosemary pork chops! (I wanted to add a picture, but I don’t know how!