3397. BACON COLLAR with CIDER and APPLE BUTTER

serves 4-6 


1-2 tablespoons olive oil  
2.25 kg bacon collar, rolled and tied 
1 bottles cider 
500 ml chicken stock 
3 bay leaves 
3 sprigs thyme 
120 grams butter 
2 onions, finely chopped 
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into chunks 
200 grams Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish. Season the bacon collar with salt and freshly ground black pepper and sear in the hot dish until golden-brown all over.

Pour in two-thirds of the cider and all of the stock. Bring to a simmer and add two of the bay leaves and the leaves from two sprigs of the thyme. Place into the oven and cook for an hour and a half, or until the bacon collar is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest.

Melt 20g (1 1/3 tablespoons) of the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onions for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the apples and the remaining herbs and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour in the remaining cider and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated and the apples have broken down.

Add a few spoonfuls of the cooking juices from the pork into the pan with the apples. Beat 80g of the butter into the apples until well combined.

Meanwhile, tip the cabbage into a large pan and place over a high heat. Add a dash of water along with the remaining butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the leaves begin to soften.

Remove the pork from the casserole and slice. Serve with the buttered cabbage and a few spoonfuls of the apple butter. Drizzle over some more bacon cooking juices.


bacon recipe source: Matt Tebbutt, Market Kitchen, Good Food Channel/UK-TV