Apple Cider Pork Roast

Wednesday 16 January

We don't buy pork from Kroger supermarkets, because they plump it up and make you pay pork prices for flavored water and chemicals (they call it "moist 'n' tender" - ha!).  But the far cheesier Save-a-Lot stores were offering unadulterated (if oddly butchered) pork sirloin roasts for $1.19/lb.   Barbara got two, one to cook and one to freeze.

First, we rubbed the 3-pound roast with Julia Child's recommended pork spice mixture: 1/4 tsp. each of ground-up bayleaf, clove, mace, nutmeg, paprika and thyme, and half that of allspice, cinnamon, and savory, mixed up with a good dose of white pepper (we would add some kosher salt too, next time).  Let it sit overnight in the fridge.

The next day, heat a Tbsp. of oil in a Dutch oven and brown the pork on all sides.  Set aside, add more oil, and sauté 6-8 small peeled shallots for a few minutes, then a couple of big turnips cut into batons and two chopped garlic cloves for a couple of minutes more. 

Set aside the vegetables, add a cup of apple cider, deglaze the bottom of the pan, and put the pork back in.  Add cider until it comes up to the roast's hips, cover, and simmer 1 hour.  Check intermittently to add more cider if it looks dry (unlikely, really).

Turn the roast, re-add the vedge, and toss in a bouquet of fresh thyme sprigs.  Season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Core and slice 3-4 sturdy apples (we used Cameos) into eighths.  Open the casserole, turn the roast again, shift the vedge, and fold in the apple slices.  Cover and simmer 30 more minutes.

Test, taste, and adjust seasoning.  Slice the roast, pile the plate with pork, slather with vedge, and drench with sauce.  Oh, and you can shower it with some fresh thyme leaves, but it was too cold to go back out in the garden, and the savory scent was driving us crazy, so we dived in.