In the midst of the long thread that Barb set off with her query about
pork chops, someone posted the following:
"One dish I like to do is a simple one pot meal where a stuffed chop is
browned and then simmered in apple juice along with potato, onion and
carrot. I use thick chops stuffed with pitted prunes, and one is ample."
Thinking about the recipe and how good it sounded, it reminded me of the
recipe below. I lifted it from Elizabeth David's French Provincial
Cooking. It is amazingly good. I think this weekend I'll adapt it to
incorporate the pork chop idea above.
Noisettes de Porc aux Pruneaux
Elizabeth David, "French Provincial Cooking"
serves 4
6-8 noisettes cut from the boned and skinned chump end of a loin of
pork, each one weighing about 3 ounces
1 lb. of very fine large juicy prunes, approx. 2 dozen
1/2 bottle fruity white wine
1 tablespoon red currant jelly
approximately 1/2 pint thick cream
2 ounces butter
salt and pepper
a little flour
Put prunes to steep in a bowl with 1/2 pint of the wine.
They should soak overnight, but with good prunes a half-day is enough.
After which, cover the dish and put it in a aavery low oven to cook.
They can stay there an hour or more, as long as they don't cook dry.
Season the pork very well with freshly ground pepper and salt.
Sprinkle each noisette with flour. Melt the butter gently in a pan
over very low heat. When butter foams add the meat and brown the pork
gently on both ends. After about 10 mins add the remaining 2 tablespoons
or so of white wine. Cover the pan. Cook very gently, covered, over a
low heat for approximately 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender.
When the meat is nearly ready, remove the cooked prunes from the oven.
Carefully remove the softened prunes to a warmed dish and keep warm in
the oven. Pour the wine over the pork. Turn up the heat under the pork
a little bit. When the juice has bubbled and reduced a little, transfer
the meat to the warmed dish in the oven and keep warm.
To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the red currant jelly and stir
until dissolved. Now pour in some of the cream. As the sauce bubbles
and thickens, stir and shake the pan and add a little more cream.
When the auace is just beginning to get shiny and really thick,
remove from the heat. Plate up the meat. Pour over the sauce, and
then arrange the prunes around.