Pork and Apricot Casserole

For five people (quantities for ten are given below)

250g dried apricots
750ml orange juice
900g raw pork, cut into about 2cm dice
2 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil
450g onions, peeled and chopped
½ head of celery, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (chopped if fresh)
or 1½ tsp dried thyme
1½ tsp paprika
1½ tsp black peppercorns
600ml vegetable stock (made up with stock cubes if necessary)
875g potatoes
butter for the potatoes (optional)

Method

1. Wash the apricots then soak them in orange juice at least one hour or, preferably, overnight so they get nice and plump.
2. Heat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6.
3. Season the flour with salt and pepper, mixing it in well, then toss the pieces of meat in the flour until the pieces are well coated.
4. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat, add the onions and celery and brown them a little, stirring occasionally, before pouring them into a casserole dish.
5. Add the rest of the oil to the frying pan, raise the heat to medium, add the meat and let it brown lightly on all sides, adding a little more oil if necessary.
6. Add the thyme, paprika, black peppercorns, the apricots (discard any orange juice not absorbed) and the stock. (The flour in the pan should thicken the sauce a bit.) Cook until the stock simmers gently for two minutes.
7. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, place in the oven and cook for 1½ hours or until the meat is tender.
8. About 30 minutes before ready to serve the casserole, boil the potatoes until tender, drain, and add butter, if wished. Cover and keep them warm.
9. Let the casserole cool about 10 minutes then serve it with the potatoes.

Each serving provides:
Kcal: 950
Protein: 68.4g
Fat: 18.7g (of which saturated fat: 4.3g)
Carbohydrate: 126.2g (of which sugars: 93.3g)
Fibre: 8.2g

Nutrition Point:

a) This recipe is high in Vitamin C, in iron and in protein.

Serving Suggestions:

a) This dish works equally well with chicken, and it will contain less fat.
b) Try adding vegetables such as carrots, green beans, and squash to the recipe for extra vitamins and minerals – and flavour!
c) This recipe would also be excellent served with either white or brown rice.

For ten people

500g dried apricots
1.5L orange juice
1.8kg raw pork, cut into about 2cm dice
4 tbsp plain flour
salt and pepper
8 tbsp vegetable oil
900g onions, peeled and chopped
1 head of celery, sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (chopped if fresh)
or 1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1.2L vegetable stock (made up with stock cubes if necessary)
1.75kg potatoes
butter for the potatoes (optional)

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