Pork partners so well with tart fruit, such as apples and apricots. This family sized meal can be cooked in the oven or a slow cooker.
Ingredients
For the Moroccan pork casserole
- 100g dried apricots
- 600ml boiling hot chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic — crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 750g pork pieces
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 onions — diced
- 2 ribs celery — sliced
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- Garlic salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoons water
Method
For the Moroccan pork casserole
- Place the apricots in a medium bowl and cover with the boiling stock. Set aside for 20–30 minutes. Drain off and reserve half the stock.
- Transfer the apricots and the remaining stock to a food processor, add the garlic and purée until smooth.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan bake) or set the slow cooker to low.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan over a high heat.
- Add half the pork and half the honey and brown the pork on all sides. Transfer to a casserole dish or the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining pork and honey.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and sauté the onions and celery for a few minutes.
- Stir in the ginger, cumin and mixed spice and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the apricot purée and the reserved stock and season with garlic salt and pepper.
- Pour the apricot sauce over the pork and cook in the oven for 2 hours or in the slow cooker for 5 hours on low.
- Mix the cornflour and water to make a slurry. Add to the sauce and simmer, stirring, until thickened to your liking.