Midweek braised pork steaks with mushrooms

In days gone by (more days than I care to consider), I used to write a blog on another platform.  When that closed, I saved all my recipes and pictures and although I have cherry picked from them over the years, I have been meaning to get back to them in some kind of structured way.

So I shall be including them as I go along and these posts are going to be fairly brief (blessedly so, you may say) but they all represent a recipe that I think is worth passing on. 

The first of which is this, my midweek braised pork steaks with mushrooms.  

Firstly, I just happened to have some home made pork stock in the freezer.  However, if you don't have that and need to use a stock cube, you may want to include a finely chopped carrot in with the onion, celery & garlic.  This will give the sweetness and a further depth to the flavour of the sauce/gravy.

Secondly, the pork steaks I have used here are loin steaks.  As such they don't need a lot of cooking to become tender, unlike a leg or shoulder steak.  Hence you might need to adjust the braising time to suit whichever cut you have at the time.

Lastly, the Bisto Best gravy granules aren't essential if you're ethically opposed to them for some reason, just use whichever thickener you prefer - cornflour, or plain flour, or some other proprietary brand.  I use Bisto Best because a) they provide the best flavour of all the gravy products available and b) they mix in really easily, without leaving great sticky clumps of goo.  Goo is definitely not essential to the success of your pork dinner. 

MIDWEEK BRAISED PORK STEAKS WITH MUSHROOMS    (serves 3)

Ingredients :

1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
3 pork steaks (I used 2 each as they were very thin, so 6 in all)
1 onion, chopped finely
2 sticks celery, chopped finely
(1 carrot, chopped finely - optional)
1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
sea salt and black pepper
750ml home made pork stock (or chicken - or at a pinch, use 1.5 good low salt stock cubes)
125g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 tbsp Bisto Best pork gravy granules.

Method :

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or wok until smoking hot, then add the pork steaks (three at a time, if necessary, so as not to overcrowd the pan) and brown them lightly on both sides.  Remove to keep warm on a plate.

Once all the steaks are browned, reduce the heat and add a little more oil if necessary, then add the onion, celery and garlic (plus the carrot, if you're using it).  Stir fry gently until softened and just beginning to colour.

Replace the pork back into the pan and add the stock and mushrooms.  Stir to combine.

Bring up to a lively simmer and taste for seasoning.  Adjust if necessary.  Place a lid onto the pan and cook for 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the gravy granules, stirring quickly to prevent any lumps.

Serve with steamed new potatoes and an assortment of in season vegetables.

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Pork steaks in satay style sauce

I blame this one on hubby.  Of course, he'll say that I blame everything on him, but that's not exactly true.  In reality, it's just most things.  *chuckle*  However, this one is all his fault, because he's been swerving my lovely pork steaks in mushroom sauce meal for weeks, eventually coming up with the suggestion that "you know what I'd really like?  Pork done in a Satay style sauce".  So I did some research and came up with this recipe, which worked very nicely.

In the course of my research, I discovered that there are three styles of satay sauce and each style harks from a different part of the world.  One is the thick style that you would dip marinated and grilled chicken or pork on a stick into, another is a thinner, less robust but fiercely hotter version.  I went for the Thai version, which seemed to suit my plans for the pork, better than any of the others.

For varying reasons that I won't bore you by going into here, I needed to poach or otherwise cook in liquid, the pork steaks so as to render them tender and ensure they weren't in any way dry.  Now it made sense - in my mind if nobody else's - to capitalise on the meaty flavours by cooking the pork in the satay sauce.  However, I knew that once the peanut butter is included, you have a very short time before it starts to catch on the bottom of the pan - and nobody likes a burned satay sauce.

So I could have seared the pork, cooked the onion and then poached the meat in stock - but then how would I have included the red Thai curry paste?  The obvious answer was to sear the pork, cook the onion, add the curry paste, the stock (for which I used the beautiful chicken stock powder from Essential Cuisine) and coconut milk - and then poach the pork in the lovely curried coconut flavours.  Basically, create a pork red Thai curry, then add the ingredients to turn it Satay.

Would you believe it, it worked.  The poaching liquor, of onion, red Thai curry paste, chicken stock and coconut milk tasted divine and the pork steaks simmered away very happily until they were cooked through, staying moist and tender.  I realised that, even with the Thai curry paste, the chilli heat wasn't going to survive the not-very-tender mercies of being hammered by a great dollop of peanut butter, so quickly added a teaspoonful of dried red chilli flakes to bolster the chilli ratio.  After that, it was a simple matter of adding the peanut butter and the all-important cider vinegar.

Now, if you make this recipe, don't ever be tempted to leave the cider vinegar out. It is essential and changes your sauce from being a chilli/peanut combo, into a Satay sauce.  It provides that sweet/sour thing that so many oriental dishes have.  The coriander is optional, in that if you don't like it, it won't hurt the dish to leave it out.  I have heard that sweet Thai basil would be good instead, but never having tried it can't recommend it.  However, it's worth a go if you really dislike coriander.

One more thing, from the cook's perspective, is to make sure that you don't continue cooking and trying to reduce the sauce, once you've put the peanut butter in.  As I've said up there ^^^ somewhere, it will burn easily but not only that the peanut butter releases its oil and you'll wind up with a pan full of oil with the over reduced, thickened sauce hiding somewhere underneath.  At that point, all you can do is retrieve the meat and throw the sauce away.  So, be sure that your meat is ready, before you add the peanut butter.

All the family were very happy with this recipe.  Son & heir declared it to be "meaty, very very meaty!" (which is always a good thing in his book, as he's a young caveman in training).  Hubby wasn't too struck on the pork, but loved the sauce and ventured the opinion that it would be as good if not better, with chicken or large prawns.  By jingo, I think he's right, too!  I loved the pork (predictably) and really enjoyed the sauce's relationship with the meat.  I felt the flavours complemented each other very well.  The sauce was also really good with the rice and I had designs upon decanting the leftovers of both into a bowl for lunch today, right up until I discovered that the remains of the sauce had done the releasing its oil thing and was unusable.  Hey ho.  I'll have to remember to cool it quickly the next time.

I also enjoyed the sugar snap peas with the pork and sauce.  The rice is there to bulk out the meal, but the peas just added that light and refreshing crunch with accompanying sweetness, making them a perfect palate cleanser between mouthfuls.  Now, where sugar snap peas are concerned, can I make a plea?  Can everyone - restaurants included - please make an effort to remove the strings from either side of the pea pod?  Please?  It really only takes a second to do - and makes such a difference to the eating experience.  Thanks.  Appreciated.  *wink*

So anyway, all in all, I'll be doing this one again!

PORK STEAKS IN SATAY STYLE SAUCE   (serves 3)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sunflower oil
6 pork steaks, trimmed of 95% of their fat (assuming 2 each)
1 onion, chopped finely
3 dessertspoonfuls of red Thai curry paste
400ml tin of coconut milk
200ml chicken stock
1 teaspoonful of dried red chilli flakes (to taste)
2 dessertspoonfuls of peanut butter
2 dessertspoonfuls of cider vinegar
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander.

Method :

1.  In a deep frying pan or wok, heat the oil until really quite hot, then sear the pork steaks on both sides.  Once the steaks are golden brown, remove and reserve to keep warm.

2.  Add the onion to the pan and cook on a moderate heat until softened and golden brown.

3.  Add the Thai curry paste and stir to combine.  Cook for some 3-4 minutes until the oil is separating from the paste.

4.  Add the coconut milk and stir well to combine.  Make sure you get all the bits from the bottom of the pan, as these are all flavour.

5.  Add the chicken stock and stir to combine.

6.  Once the sauce is bubbling, return the pork steaks to the pan and simmer - uncovered - for some 10-15 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.  It is at this stage that you can taste the sauce and decide whether or not to add the dried red chilli flakes, but just remember that the peanut butter will do its best to wipe out every other flavour, so be brave!

7.  Add the peanut butter and stir gently to combine.  The sauce will thicken at this stage, so take care to stir regularly to prevent it catching on the bottom of the pan.

8.  Add the cider vinegar, stir to combine.  Give the vinegar 5 minutes or so to simmer and amalgamate with the other flavours, then taste for seasoning and adjust.  I found the dish required a fair amount of salt, to bring out the flavours of the peanuts. 

9.  Just before serving, add the chopped coriander, saving a little back to sprinkle over the plated up dish.

Serve with plain white rice (basmati is good) and a light, green vegetable such as sugar snap peas.

Printable version
 

Braised Pork Steaks - also known as "Posh Porks"

As predicted, although I remembered to take the pork out of the freezer, it wasn't in time for Tuesday evening's dinner.  However, by Wednesday it was certainly defrosted and we were all set for Posh Porks.

Now, first of all, the name.  Why is it called "Posh Porks"?  Well, for years I went by the internet nickname of "PoshPaws" (and still do, in certain instances).  So, when I was building this recipe in my imagination and required a name for it, "PoshPorks" just seemed to fit.

After all, it has got some lovely ingredients - and the end result is so delicious that the prefix of "Posh" is just completely apposite.

The first time I made this dish, instead of the mushroom ketchup, I used the concentrated chicken stock that you get when you roast a chicken, but include lemon juice, or some stock, to prevent it drying out.  At the end of the cooking process, that stock decanted into a container and refrigerated until cool so that you can remove the fat, is just the most intensely savoury chicken flavouring I've ever come across.

However, this time around, I didn't have any to hand and didn't want to use Worcester Sauce or double up on the stock cube (provided it's low salt!) - but if you don't have the concentrated stock or mushroom ketchup, then either of those will do.

Mmmn, yum. Hand me a knife & fork immediately!

As you are making the dish, if you taste the stock just after you've replaced the meat, then you'll be worrying that it's a bit pale pink.  Do not be tempted to add anything to richen the mixture, because as it reduces the flavours intensify to the point where the addition of the cream is necessary to smoothen - and to a certain extent, dilute - the stock.

The end result is lovely tender pork steaks in a creamy, savoury, mushroom sauce.  The rice I served it with is perfect for mopping up the sauce - although mashed potato would be just as good.  I served it with Chantenay carrots (for the beta carotene & vit. a, plus their inherent sweetness), some Tenderstem Broccoli (for the vit. c, potassium & iron plus its lovely freshness) and the Basmati rice, which has a lovely fragrant quality.

It had been some two years since I made this recipe last and hubby was looking forward to it.  I think it says a lot for the recipe that this go round, he found it to be just as lovely as he did the first go.  Son & heir was dubious, as he really doesn't like tough pork and couldn't remember when we'd had it first, but he was "mmmmn-ing" and "oooh-ing" in appreciation just as much as anyone else - and more to the point, cleared his plate.  Now that's what I call success.

BRAISED PORK STEAKS (A.K.A. POSH PORKS)  Serves 3

Ingredients:

450g thin cut pork steaks, my butcher provides them in sixes!
1 onion, diced small
olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed or grated
3-4 chestnut mushrooms, sliced thinly
2-3 sticks of celery, diced fine
1 tsp thyme leaves
a small sprig of parsley, chopped fine

400ml chicken stock
2 tsp mushroom ketchup
1 tsp english mustard powder
150ml double cream (of which you should have a little left).

Method :

1.  Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan, then flash fry the steaks with some seasoning, to create some caramelisation. Set them aside to keep warm.

2.  Add a little more olive oil and saute the onions & celery until they are transparent and just starting to take on colour.  Add the garlic, mushrooms and thyme.

3.  Allow to cook for a minute or so, then add the stock and stir to combine.

4.  Add the mushroom ketchup, parsley and mustard powder.  Stir to combine and return the meat to the pan.

5.  Bring to simmering point and cover.  Simmer for 20 minutes or so to ensure the pork is cooked through. 

6.  Remove the lid, test the meat for tenderness and if you are happy with it, turn the heat up to reduce the stock.  To speed up this process, you can remove the meat again and keep it somewhere it will keep warm, such as under a warm grill.

7.  Once stock is reduced to around half, add enough cream until you achieve as mellow (lots of cream) or not (just a dash of cream) a flavour as you prefer.  Return the meat to the pan and continue to reduce until you reach your favourite consistency.

8.  Serve.

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