Early Autumn Stew

Finished Stew

My mom used to make stew when I was a kid and honestly, that must have been one of my least favorite meals.  I can remember the wonderful smell filling the house and me, in my room, imagining something really good for dinner.  When it was finally ready, I would run to the kitchen with anticipation, only to be disappointed at those chuncks of carrots, potatoes, celery and onion staring at me from the pot.  Ugh!  How I hated all those vegetables and that beefy soup.

Now that I am an adult, I'm still not a fan of stew. Not beef stew anyway.  I am however, in love with this recipe for hearty and delicious Early Autumn Stew made with pork, carrots, celery, onion and accented with the sweetness of apples and cranberries.  Oh this is the perfect meal on those chilly autumn nights.

We usually go apple picking every year and this is a great way to use all those apples that we bring home.  We didn't go this year but I still managed to get in a pot of stew.  My kids love it and it seems to be a big hit with all who have tried it.

This recipe was taken from Rachel Ray who cooked it on her show a few years back and I've been making it every year since.



Cubed Pork and flour

Dredge pork in flour seasoned with paprika

Sear pork in olive oil until browned and remove from pot

Add vegetables, apples and herbs and allspice to pot after meat is removed

Fresh thyme and bay leaf

Cook vegetables until tender

Deglaze the pan with apple cider then add chicken stock.

Simmer for 10 minutes

EARLY AUTUMN STEW

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins, silver skin removed (you can have a butcher do this for you) and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), divided
• 1 large Spanish onion, cut into 2-inch dice
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 McIntosh apples, peeled or unpeeled and cut into 2-inch dice
• 2 pinches allspice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups cloudy apple cider
• 3-4 cups chicken stock (depending on how thick you like your stew)
• 1 loaf crusty bread

Serves 6

Preparation

Pre-heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with two tablespoons of EVOO, about two turns of the pan.

Place the pieces of tenderloin onto a sheet tray and season them with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss with flour until well-coated.
Once ripples appear in the oil and it starts to very lightly smoke, add the pork to the pot and sear it until well-browned on all sides, 7-8 minutes (lots of brown bits will remain on the bottom of the pot). Remove the meat to a platter and reserve.

Add the remaining two tablespoons of EVOO to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and thyme, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook the vegetables until they begin to tenderize, about 6-8 minutes then add in the apples, allspice and cranberries, and cook until the vegetables are quite tender, 3-5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the cider, scraping up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add in the chicken stock and toss the pork back into the hot tub. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pull out the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the pot and discard them.
To serve, line the bottom of six bowls with chunks of bread. Ladle the stew on top of the bread and enjoy!