Porc du Normandy - Normandy Pork Casserole

True comfort food for chilly winter evenings, this slow cooked recipe takes very little effort to make and is a marvelous combination of meltingly tender pork, smoked bacon, and apple cider. Cooking time can be shortened substantially by using an Instant Pot or pressure cooker as described in the alternate recipe.

4.50 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French, Normandy, Northwestern France

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 3

Total Time: 3 15

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

Equipment

Heavy casserole or pot with cover
Optional: Instant Pot or pressure cooker

Ingredients

2 ½ lb Pork shoulder
6 oz Smoked bacon, diced
16 oz Frozen pearl onions (or canned)
2 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
3½ oz Crème fraiche or sour cream
2 oz Calvados (apple brandy)
1 cup Apple cider
1 Tbsp Cider vinegar
2 oz Butter
2 tsp Dried thyme
2 sticks Celery, diced
4 Apples (Granny Smith), cored and cut into large chunks
1 tsp Dried sage
1 Bay leaf
2 tbsp Corn starch, mixed with 3 tbsp water (slurry)
2 tsp Coarse grain mustard

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C). Heat olive oil over medium heat in a heavy pot or any ovenproof deep dish with a cover. Add bacon and cook uncovered until crisp. Transfer bacon to a bowl. Add butter to bacon fat in pot and cook pearl onions until browned on the outside. Using a slotted spoon, transfer browned onions to a bowl. Add pork to pot and brown over high heat.
Remove pot from heat once pork has browned and add back onions. Pour Calvados over meat and, using a long lighter or match, light the calvados and let the flame burn down and the alcohol burn off.
Put pot back over medium heat and add chopped apple, mustard, celery, thyme, sage, apple cider and stock. Season with ground pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and put in oven for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, skim any excess fat from the top and stir in slurry (cornstarch - water mixture) and the cream. Put lid back on and return to oven for another 15 minutes.
To serve, remove casserole from oven, stir well and either transfer to a big serving bowl or leave in casserole.

Notes

Instead of 2 hour cook in oven, contents may be transferred to a slow cooker/crock pot to cook on High for 6-10 hours. Mix in slurry and cream 15 minutes before serving.
For a faster option, transfer contents to an Instant Pot instead of oven to cook. Set for SAUTE and when HOT, perform steps 1 and 2 above in the Instant Pot. After Calvados has burned down, add vegetables and spices from Step 3. Close lid and pressure cook at HIGH PRESSURE for 6 minutes, then NATURAL RELEASE for 10 minutes. Remove lid, stir in the slurry and cream. Put lid back on and select WARM until ready to serve.
Calvados can be replaced by brandy, if necessary.

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