A Versatile Technique
The general technique used here: pounding the meat to tenderize, flouring, browning and then simmering in a sauce while the flour thickens it can be done with lots of different ingredients. Chicken works as well as pork. Chicken Marsala is an example of a similar chicken dish. This technique always provides nice tender meat and it can be fun to play around with the sauce/flavorings.
Making it Gluten Free
Sweet rice flour works wonderfully in gluten free dishes like this. It browns nicely and has great thickening power for the sauce. It’s also called glutinous rice flour and can be found at Asian markets usually in clear bags with green lettering.
Apples and Pork
This week I’m celebrating fall by cooking with apples. The apple cider/white wine sauce here has a nice sweet/savory balance. The cooked apples are soft and luscious. Pork loin, trimmed of fat, is lean and tender in this recipe. You could buy boneless chops or a loin roast and trim off some slices leaving the rest for another meal. Apples and pork just seem to naturally go together and they sure work here! Let this apple pork with noodles comfort you on a cool fall night!
- 1 lb pork loin (from boneless chops or a loin roast)
- ¼ cup sweet rice flour
- ½ tsp salt
- a generous grind of black pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 large or 2 small apples, sliced ¼ inch thick
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped finely
- extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine
- ⅔ cup apple cider
- 8 oz gluten free noodles of your choice (fusilli work nicely here)
- Slice pork so it is ½ inch thick and trim of fat.
- Place plastic wrap over the pork on a cutting board and pound until thinned to ¼ inch thick.
- Cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Mix flour, salt, pepper and thyme in a shallow bowl and toss pork with flour to coat.
- In a large skillet, heat 1Tbsp oil on medium heat and sauté onions about 5 min until translucent and starting to brown.
- Transfer onions to a bowl.
- Heat 1 ½ Tbsp oil in the skillet on medium high heat and add pork.
- Cook a few minutes until pork pieces brown on bottoms and then turn them with tongs and cook another few minutes until browned on both sides. If the pan seems dry when you turn the pork, add another 1 ½ Tbsp oil and swirl to distribute under pork pieces.
- Transfer pork to a bowl.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook briefly until aroma comes.
- Add the wine and apple cider to the pan and use a wooden spatula to scrape the tasty brown bits from the pan.
- Add back the onions and the pork and add the apple slices to the pan.
- Toss to coat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.
- Prepare noodles according to package directions. I advise tasting the noodles for doneness as you get close to the cooking time so they are al dente and don’t cook too long and break apart or become mushy.
- Sprinkle the pork and apples with parsley when done and serve over noodles.
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