Crafts and Life

1.8kg boned shoulder of pork
2 tbsp oil or lard
2 onions, sliced
2 tbsp caraway seeds
4 apples (sharp but not cookers, sliced)
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 dates, pitted and halved
1 piece of candied peel, chopped
1 head of celery, chopped
grated rind and juice of one orange
a sprig of fresh sage
half a bottle of red wine
brown stock

Method

Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan and brown the joint of pork over a high heat, turning to colour all sides.  Remove.  Fry the onions in the same fat to a light brown.  Add the caraway seeds and let them start to pop.

Put the onion and caraway mixture into a deep oven proof dish or casserole.  Layer the sliced apples on top.  Season the pork and place on this mixture.  Add the dates, candied peel, celery, orange rind and sage.  Pour on the wine and orange juice and top up with enough stock to come to the top of but not cover the meat.  Cook in a pre-heated oven at 170C/325F/Gas 3 for 2.5 hours.

Remove the meat.  Strain the cooking liquid and remove the fat from the surface.  Serve the liquid as a sauce.

Serves 4 – taken from Two Fat Ladies (Gastronomic Adventures [with motorbike and sidecar]) by Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright