Pork stewed with apples

Step 1

Slice the pork tenderloin across the grain into 2 cm thick slices. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Dredge the pieces of meat in flour.

Step 2

Heat a large frying pan with olive oil and fry the pork pieces on both sides until golden brown.

Step 3

Peel the onion and slice it into thin half rings. Wash the apples, dry them, and cut each into 8 wedges. Remove the seeds, but leave the skin on.

Step 4

Remove the fried pork pieces from the pan to a bowl, and add the chopped onion to the pan with the remaining fat. Fry for about 5 minutes until soft and golden brown.

Step 5

Add the apple slices to the pan with the onions and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly caramelized. Carefully pour in the broth, stirring constantly and scraping down the sides of the pan to remove any browned bits.

Step 6

Return the pork to the pan along with any juices, add the bay leaf and grainy mustard. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15–20 minutes, adding water or broth if necessary.

Step 7

Meanwhile (or make ahead), prepare the cranberry sauce. Zest the orange and squeeze out the juice. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Place the cranberries, orange juice and zest, sugar, ginger, and other spices in a saucepan, pour in the water, and bring to a boil.

Step 8

Simmer the cranberry sauce over medium heat, stirring and crushing the cranberries with a spoon, for about 10–15 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step 9

Serve the braised pork tenderloin with apples and cranberry sauce.

Pork braised in red wine has a truly captivating, unique burgundy-purple color, making it a real eye-catcher. The dish's flavor is also rich and multifaceted, and it's sure to impress. To enhance its appeal, we added sweet paprika, which really shined. Ground paprika also works beautifully! By the way, if you have smoked paprika, feel free to use it: the braised pork will acquire a pleasant smoky flavor. However, we wouldn't recommend making it too spicy, as it will detract from the main flavor of the dish.

Long-awaited guests arrived and will be staying until Forgiveness Sunday. The apartment became noisy, bottles of wine lined the table, and the refrigerator was full. I prepared the food for the first festive dinner the day before.

The recipe for pork with apples in a frying pan is considered a canonical one in the international classification of culinary styles. The French, for example, prepare pork à la Normande, with apples and fried onions. The Poles have recipes for braised pork with apples, where the meat is simmered with fruit, and then a sauce is prepared using broth and sautéed flour. And one of the most famous dishes in Chinese cuisine is pork in sweet and sour sauce with the addition of fruit. Pork pairs well with sweet and sour ingredients: they, in turn, balance the fattiness of the meat, add depth to the flavor, and impart exquisite fruity notes.

It's believed that the world's entire supply of apples is concentrated in Normandy, France. They feature in almost every recipe there. While apple soup might not be a favorite in many Russian homes, pork stewed in apple juice is a favorite of almost everyone.