Name: Pork loin with eel and burnt apple sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and cored; 1 tbsp honey; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 fresh eel, head, skins and guts removed and cut into steaks; 300ml/10fl oz dry cider; 1 small carrot, peeled and diced; 1 celery stick, diced; 1 apple, diced; 1 small bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped; 4 tbsp butter; 1 lemon, juice only; 1 tbsp butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 pork loin steaks; 6 cavolo nero leaves, stalks removed and chopped into small pieces; salt

Prepare: less than 30 mins
Cook: 1 to 2 hours
Serve: Serves 2
Dietary: Egg-free Nut-free

This would be perfect for an impressive dinner party dish or a romantic meal for two.

By Ian Orr

From Saturday Kitchen

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Ingredients

For the burnt apple sauce

apples: 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered and cored
honey: 1 tbsp honey
vinegar: 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the eel

olive oil: 1 tbsp olive oil
eel: 1 fresh eel, head, skins and guts removed and cut into steaks
cider: 300ml/10fl oz dry cider
carrot: 1 small carrot, peeled and diced
celery: 1 celery stick, diced
apple: 1 apple, diced
parsley: 1 small bunch of fresh flatleaf parsley, chopped
butter: 4 tbsp butter
lemon: 1 lemon, juice only

For the pork loin

butter: 1 tbsp butter
olive oil: 2 tbsp olive oil
pork loin: 2 pork loin steaks
cavolo nero: 6 cavolo nero leaves, stalks removed and chopped into small pieces
salt: salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
For the burnt apple sauce, bake the apples for 25–30 minutes until slightly charred and soft. Blitz in a blender with the honey and vinegar and then strain through a sieve. Set aside.
Reduce the temperature of the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
For the eel, heat the oil in a casserole dish and fry the eel for 5 minutes. Add the cider to the casserole, bring to the boil, cover and transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and take the eel out of the dish using a slotted spoon. Leave the oven on. Place the casserole over a medium heat and add the carrot, celery, apple and parsley. Bring to the boil, add the butter and the lemon juice and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Place the eel back in the dish.
Meanwhile, for the pork loin, heat the butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Seal the pork loins for 2–3 minutes on each side and cook in the oven for 15–20 minutes, or until cooked through. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Place the calvo nero on a baking tray and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until crispy.
Place the pork loins on warmed plates with the burnt apple sauce and eel mixture. Garnish with the kale and serve.