Pork Shoulder Steaks Braised with Cider and Apples

Mmmmmmm....

Pork Shoulder steaks, at least an inch thick, on the bone.
Granny Smith Apples
Unfiltered dry apple cider (Something nice, and english)
Large white onion
Garlic
Ginger
Raisins/Sultanas


Pat the steaks with seasoned flour and brown them for a few minutes till theres a good layer of brown bits on the bottom of the pan

Remove the steaks and set aside

Without letting the pan cool, add the quarted onions and fry them hard to caramalise, when they get some colour add some oil to cool the pan

Add a heaped teaspoon of cinamon, tumeric and cumin. Fry until aromas fill the room

Add sliced garlic and grated ginger (Lots of both) and keep everything moving so they dont burn

After about a minute add the quartered apples, followed soon after by the steaks and any juice thats come out of them.

Get everything under and over the steaks then add the cider, enough to just cover everything

Cover and leave for about half an hour on low heat

Remove lid and add raisins, cook uncovered untill the liquid has reduced slightly, then replace lid and cook for about another 30 mins.

Remove steaks and flake off meat with a fork

Crush the now softened apples to thicken the sauce and spoon this over a pile of tender meat, sprinkle with fresh coriander and apple shavings.

Serve.

Mmmm.

From Havana Chilli

Righto, one of my favorite chilli variants;

For 3-4 people you'll Need:

1 large Onion
3 Large Garlic Cloves
3 Dry Habanero Chillies
3 Dry Chipolte Chillies
2 Fresh Green Jalapenos
1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes
Tomato Puree
Cumin Seeds
Corinader Seeds
Cayenne Pepper
Cinnamon
Oregano
Peppercorns
Sea Salt
2 Tins Red Kidney Beans
Cubed stewing steak or beef shin (1 - 2 lbs)

Optional Garnishes:

Greek Yoghurt
Fresh Coriander leaves
Fresh Red Onion Pickle
Red Currant Jelly

Instructions:

Toast & Rehydrate the dry chillis, dice them up and retain the liquid

Toast the dry spices and grind them into a fine powder

Dice the onion and garlic, fry to soften not to colour

Add about half the spice mix and begin to fry along with half the dry chillis

When the aroma of all the spices fills the room, add the meat and stir well

Once browned, add most of the remaining spice mix, retaining about a heaped teaspoon

Fry until meat begins to caramalise a bit

Add about a can amount of the liquid you reheated the chillis in and bring to the boil

Add the tomatoes and bring to boil again, then reduce to a simmer

Cook for aslong as you can wait, at least an hour, untill the meat is like tender and soft

Thicken with the tomato puree at the same time as adding the kidney beans

Just before serving add the fresh chillis and serve with the selection of garnishes and your choice of fluffy white rice, nachos or fresh crusty bread (This is my preference) Finally you should sprinkle over a pinch of the left over spice mix to get the it right up the nose!

Should turn out really thick with little sauce and a few layers of heat and quite deep, smokey flavours. Comments/Suggestions welcome

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD

Right, I'm bored of this just being where I spill random tips and equations that help me with work. I'm going to start publishing all the recipes I make up and then forget too! Watch this space for some lip-smacking business. First up will be the most recent chilli, my 'From Havana' recipe :D