Pork Stew with Chicken Apple Sausage

A BRUCE AIDELLS SIGNATURE RECIPE

It's hard to beat the combination of pork and apples. This simple stew uses apples in three ways: fresh apples, Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage, and the hard (alcoholic) apple cider. With the recent resurgence of many brands of hard cider, try out some and see which suits your taste. If not a fan of hard cider, substitute white wine and if you want to leave out the alcohol all together, then use apple juice or plain cider.

Share This Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons bacon fat
1 1/2 pound small red potatoes (about 2-inches in diameter), scrubbed, unpeeled, cut in half
30 small boiling onions, peeled
2 semi-tart apples (Granny Smith, Pippin or Jonathan) cored, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder butt or boneless country ribs, trimmed of external fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup hard cider, still or sparkling white wine, or 6 oz. apple juice

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat or butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and fry until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons fat to the pot, and increase the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper add to the pot in batches (do not crowd) and brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to the bowl with the sausage.

  2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots and celery to the pot, cover and cook until the shallots are translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the sage and cook for 1 minute. Return the sausage and pork to the pot, and add the broth and cider. Bring to a boil, scrapping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat, cover partially and simmer for 45 minutes.

  3. Add the potatoes to the stew, cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the onions, cover partially and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the apples, cover completely and simmer until the potatoes and pork are fork tender, about 15 minutes longer.

  4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the solid ingredients to a large bowl and cover to keep warm. Skim the fat from the surface of the liquid in the pot. Whisk in the mustard and boil the liquid until thickens to a thin syrup, about 10 minutes. Return the solid ingredients to the pot and simmer until heated through. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls.