Pork Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 500 g (1.1lbs) diced pork shoulder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp celery salt optional – I find it adds a nice savoury flavour
• 1 onion peeled and chopped
• 12 baby mushrooms chopped in half
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 250 ml (1 cup) dry cider (hard cider if you're in the USA)
• 420 ml (1+¾ cups) chicken or vegetable stock (water + 2 stock cubes is fine)
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 150 g (½ cup) bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon
• 1 tbsp cornflour cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
• 60 ml (¼ cup) double (heavy) cream
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

To Serve
Mashed potatoes
Steamed kale or other green veg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F.
2. Heat 1 ½ tbsp of the oil in a large casserole dish, over a high heat, until hot.
3. Add the pork, salt, pepper and celery salt and brown on all sides - it should take around 6-8 minutes.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and add in the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion softens.
5. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further two minutes.
6. Add the carrots, cider, stock and dried thyme. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Stir and scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
7. Place a lid on the pan, and place in the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours*, until the pork flakes apart when you press it with a fork. Check a couple of times during the last hour of cooking and add a splash of water or stock if it's starting to look a little dry.
8. Just before the casserole comes out of the oven, heat the remaining ½ tbsp oil in a frying pan and cook the bacon lardons until crispy. Turn off the heat.
9. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the cornstarch and water mixture to thicken, if needed.
10. Stir in the cream. Taste and season with a little more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle on the bacon lardons.
11. Serve with green veg on top of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle on a little chopped parsley before serving.