Braised Pork With Plums Recipes

CHINESE BRAISED PORK WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Bring a very large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pork belly and boil for 15 mins until cooked. Cool to room temperature, then cut into 4cm chunks and make sure they're dry.
• Heat some of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the pork in batches. Once browned, set aside. Put the onion, spring onion whites, ginger, garlic and coriander stalks in a blender and whizz to a paste.
• After browning the pork, wipe out the dish, add the paste with a splash of water and gently heat until softened. Stir in the five-spice powder, star anise, cinnamon and 1 tsp ground pepper. Fry for 1 min, then add the sugar, soy sauces, hoisin sauce, vinegar and ginger syrup. Return the pork, plus any juices, then crumble in the stock cube and add enough water to just cover. Stir in a third of the plums and bring to a gentle simmer while you heat oven to 160C/140C fan/ gas 3. Cover the dish and bake for 2 1⁄2 hrs.
• Lift the pork into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven. Put the sauce back on the hob and boil until reduced by about half. Add the remaining plums and cook for a few mins more, then return the pork. Finely slice the spring onion greens and scatter over with the coriander leaves. Serve with jasmine rice and stir-fried greens.

BRAISED PORK WITH PLUMS

Steps:

• Cut the pork into big pieces about the length of your thumb and twice as wide. Put into a bowl or food bag, and add the wine, soy sauces, half the ginger, half the garlic and half the chilli. Marinate for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then heat the oil in a large casserole. Tip in half the spring onions, remaining ginger and garlic, the star anise, five-spice powder and cinnamon. Fry gently until fragrant and soft. Stir in the sugar, turn up the heat, then lift the pork from the marinade and turn in the oniony mix for about 3 mins until the meat is just sealed but not browned. Tip in the marinade, tomato purée and stock, give it a stir, cover, then braise in the oven for 2 hrs.
• After the first hr is up, add the plums to the pan. Take the lid off and carry on the cooking, uncovered. The meat should be completely tender, turning golden brown where it breaks the surface of the sauce. Spoon off any excess fat from the surface, then scoop the meat and plums carefully from the pan with a slotted spoon. Turn up the heat and boil the sauce for 5-10 mins until reduced and slightly syrupy. Return everything to the pan, gently warm through, then scatter the rest of the spring onions over the top to serve.

PORK WITH PLUM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper; cook in the hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove pork chops to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir the garlic in the skillet just until fragrant, 10 to 20 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and cloves; bring to a boil. Stir the mixture until the brown sugar dissolves; add the plums. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer the mixture until the sauce has thickened and the plums are very soft, about 45 minutes. Mash the plums with a potato masher to an applesauce-like texture. Place the pork chops back into the pan and cook in the sauce until no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes. A meat thermometer inserted into the middle of a chop should read 145 degrees (63 degrees C).

BRAISED PORK FILLETS WITH PRUNES AND CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Simmer the prunes in the wine over moderate heat, covered, until plump and tender, about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the red wine.
• Bone and tie the pork fillets. Saute the fillets in the oil until they are a rich golden brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer fillets to a plate. Add the mirepoix and the bones to the pan and saute to brown lightly, 8 to 10 minutes. (Additional oil may have to be added to keep the mirepoix from burning.)
• Add the wine from the prunes and deglaze the pan. Place the pork fillets on top of the mirepoix (the liquid should come part way up the pork chops), cover, and simmer gently over very low heat or until the fillets are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Place the fillets in an oven pre-heated to 325 and immediately turn off the heat. The meat should be cooked within 10 and 15 minutes. Take care not to overcook the pork. Use tongs to transfer the meat to a heated platter and remove the strings. Arrange three prunes on each fillet, then cover the fillets with foil.
• Pour the rest of the contents of the pan through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down on the vegetables to extract all the juices. Return the juices to the pan and reduce by half rapidly, stirring and scraping any brown bits that cling to the pan. Add the cream and continue to boil down rapidly until the color becomes a light beige and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Whisk in the jelly and continue to cook, whisking, until the jelly is dissolved. Taste and correct seasoning of the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the fillets, sprinkle with minced parsley, and serve.

PORK WITH PLUM SAUCE

Steps:

• Whisk 1 tablespoon wine, the ginger and 2 tablespoons ice water in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork, turning to coat; refrigerate while you prepare the sauce.
• Remove the zest from the orange in wide strips using a vegetable peeler. Put the zest in a skillet and squeeze in the juice. Whisk in the vinegar, honey and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons wine. Add the mint and cook over medium-high heat until syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the plums and cook until slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the mint. Swirl in the butter, if desired, and season with salt.
• Heat 1/4 inch peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork until golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt and serve with the plum sauce.

CATALAN BRAISED PORK SHOULDER WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325º.
• Using kitchen string, tie the pork shoulder crosswise, spacing the ties 1 inch apart. Rub the pork generously with salt and pepper and the garlic.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 5 to 6 quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over high heat until almost smoking. Add the pork and cook until richly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Add the remaining oil while the pork browns, if the casserole looks too dry. Transfer the pork to a bowl. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and pearl onions to the casserole and brown well, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the kirsch and cook over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 tablespoon, about 1 minute. Add the wine, beef stock, cherries, apricots, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the casserole to dislodge the brown bits. Season the sauce with salt to taste.
• Return the pork to the casserole. Cover tightly and transfer it to the oven. Bake the pork, turning it once or twice, until it is very tender and an instant-read thermometer registers 165º, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the pork to a plate and cover it with foil to keep warm. Remove and discard the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and rosemary sprigs.
• Transfer the casserole to the stove top and cook the sauce over high heat until it is slightly syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Remove the string from the pork and discard it. Cut the pork into slices and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the sauce over the pork and serve.

BRAISED BRISKET WITH PLUMS, STAR ANISE AND PORT

Steps:

• Season brisket all over with salt and pepper. Place it in a large container and cover with garlic and half the thyme sprigs. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours. Let meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Wipe off garlic and thyme.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. On the stovetop, place a very large Dutch oven over high heat. Add oil. Place brisket in pot and cook, without moving, until browned, about 7 minutes per side. (Cut meat into two chunks and sear in batches if it doesn't fit in a single layer.) Transfer to a plate.
• Add onions to pot and reduce heat to medium-high. Cook onions, tossing occasionally, until golden brown around the edges and very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour in port and wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in star anise, bay leaves and remaining thyme. Scatter half the plums over the bottom of the pot and nestle brisket on top. Scatter remaining plums over meat. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook, turning every 30 minutes, until meat is completely fork tender, about 5 hours. After 4 hours, uncover the pot so some of the liquid can evaporate and sauce can thicken.
• If you have time, let brisket cool completely in the pot, then refrigerate, covered, overnight. (This makes it easier to remove the fat from the top with a slotted spoon.) Reheat meat in a 300-degree oven for about 45 minutes before serving, if necessary. If sauce seems thin, remove meat from the pot and bring liquid to a simmer. Let cook until it's reduced to taste. Slice meat and serve with the plum sauce, garnished with thyme leaves if you like.