Pork Pojarski with Spiked Raisin, Apple & Cinnamon Compote by Gary O'Hanlon
| Serves: 4 | Category: Pork | Chef: Gary O'Hanlon | Course: Mains | Machine: Food Processor, Mixer | Total time (min.): 50 |
This dish brings me back 24 years and my first year at catering college. It’s an absolute cracker and something very different to do with minced pork. It’s also commonly made with minced veal. Feel free to add some caramelized onions and some sage or even some spices. There are no rules. I prefer to go with high quality, well reared, pork with some white pepper and this lovely compote as an accompaniment.
Ingredients
Pojarski:
- 680g pork shoulder, minced (See Tip 1 in Chef's notes)
- sea salt and white pepper to taste
- 6 eggs
- 500ml milk
- 800g breadcrumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
- 4 knobs butter
- 3 sprigs thyme
Spiked Raisin & Apple Compote:
- 1 cooking apple and 1 pink lady apple, peeled, cored and sliced on the attachment
- 1 large handful raisins
- 100ml water
- 100ml rum
- 2 level tsp cinnamon
- 2tsp sugar
Tools
- Titanium Chef XL
- Food Processor
Method
For the Spiked Raisin Compote:
- Mix the water and rum, pour over the raisins and leave for 15 mins. After 15 mins, strain the raisins and set aside.
- Add the apples to a pot, bring to the boil and simmer, add in the sugar, cinnamon and the rum spiked raisins. Turn down to a simmer and cook through.
For the Pojarski:
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
- Mince the pork shoulder using the Meat Grinder attachment on the Chef Titanium. Season the minced pork with a few pinches of white pepper, divide into 4 and shape into cutlets.
- Whisk the eggs and season a little. Place the flour in a bowl and in a separate bowl the breadcrumbs.
- Pass the pork through the flour, then egg wash and then finally the breadcrumbs.
- Heat a heavy based frying pan (See Tip 3 in Chef's notes), add a good drizzle of vegetable oil then the pork Pojarski and fry until golden, turn and repeat
- Cook on the second side for 3 minutes then add in the butter and thyme.
- Continue to baste for a minute then place into the oven for 4 minutes, set aside.
- To serve, plate 4 Pojarski and divide the compote between them all.
Chef's Notes:
- Always use well reared pork. It’s imperative that you use a second class cut like the shoulder as you need some fat through the mince to keep it flavoursome and moist.
- To spike something is simply to soak in alcohol.
- I recommend every serious, or aspiring, cook to invest in a good heavy based non-stick frying pan/pot. Treat it well and it’ll last you a lifetime.