Pork with red cabbage and pears

For this slow-cooked dish, lightly browned pork steaks are braised on top of a delicious mixture of red cabbage, baby beets, sliced pears and lentils.

Ingredients

1 1⁄2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

4 pork steaks, trimmed of all excess fat

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

500 grams (1 lb) red cabbage, shredded

250 grams (1⁄2 lb) raw baby beets, peeled and cut into six wedges

2 pears, ripe but firm, quartered, cored and thinly sliced

1 orange, zest finely grated and juiced

1 1⁄2 tablespoons soft brown sugar

398 ml can green lentils, drained and rinsed

1⁄3 cup diluted salt-reduced or homemade chicken or vegetable stock

1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the vinegar. Lightly brush over the pork and season. Set aside to marinate.

2.Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a flameproof casserole dish with a capacity of at least 3 litres. Add the onion and fry gently for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for a few seconds, then remove from the heat. Add the cabbage, beet wedges, pear slices, orange zest and juice, remaining vinegar and sugar to the casserole. Lightly season, then stir the ingredients together. Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 1 1⁄2 hours or until the cabbage is just tender, stirring halfway through the cooking time. Towards the end of the cooking time, pat the marinated pork steaks dry on paper towel.

3.Heat a heavy-based frying pan and brush with the remaining oil. Add the pork steaks and cook for 2 minutes on each side over a medium–high heat until browned. (The steaks will still be undercooked at this stage.)

4.Stir the lentils into the red cabbage mixture, then place the steaks on top. Blend together the stock and mustard and drizzle over the top. Re-cover and return to the oven for 15–20 minutes until the cabbage is tender and the pork cooked through. Serve at once.

Serves 4

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 2 hours

Nutritional information

Each serving

33.5 g protein • 13 g fat of which 3 g saturates • 31.5 g carbohydrate • 11 g fibre • 396 Calories