In Autumn there is nothing nicer than a warm casserole based dish for dinner. There…
Roast Pork with Skirlie and Apples in Maple Whisky Sauce
Very soon the cricket world cup will be taking place. Cricket is never a game I understood, it is filled with mysterious phrase like “googly” and “hoik” as well as strange positions like “silly mid on”. The main principles are fine but the scoring and rules are a mystery. The game does bring to mind Summer days in England watching a local team play on the village green. You could sit and listen to the thwack of the ball on the bat, enjoying the sunshine and never quite following the action. Occasionally the air would be punctuated with cheers as someone hit a run. Shortly the cricket world cup will be starting. If you have a sports mad husband like I do the television will be on and there will be a blow by blow account of the action. There is something soothing about listening to the cricket in the background even if you are not following it. It is a gentle game, which moves slowly. There are a range of nations taking part from Australia and New Zealand to the West Indies, South Africa and Pakistan and back home to England and Scotland. I wanted to create a recipe from one of the nations taking part so I decided to create a Scottish recipe and made Roast Pork with Skirlie and apples in a maple whisky sauce.
There are a lot of recipes from Scotland which are well known like Scotch Broth or Cock-a-leekie soup. Scotland is also famous for salmon and haggis. Skirlie is a traditional Scottish recipe which is normally served as a side dish or a stuffing. There is something magical about the name, it sounds as if it is some magical fairy tale creature lurking in the wood ready to grant your wishes. Skirlie just trips off your tongue, it is one of those words you want to keep saying. It is made from onions and oatmeal with plenty of seasoning, pan fried in suet or dripping. It does not have the same consistency as porridge, it is more chewy and flavourful. It is a lovely addition to a roast meal.
The time for roasting the pork depends on the size of the joint. I normally cook mine at 180°C, gas mark 4. I calculate the cooking time based on the weight, allowing 35 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 35 minutes. To make the crackling perfect rub some oil into the fat and then score it with a knife. Rub in a mixture of salt and pepper in a thin even layer. Place in the oven for the allocated time and make sure the pork is thoroughly cooked before you serve. To go along with the roast pork I roasted some potatoes, made some mash and cooked some carrots and broccoli. It was a perfect roast dinner.
Apple sauce is the perfect accompaniment to pork and to go along with the Scottish theme I decided to poach mine in a sauce which was made from maple syrup, mustard, whisky and some stock. This worked really well adding a subtle flavouring to the apples that worked really well with the Skirlie and the pork.
The Skirlie is filling and would work equally well as an accompaniment for chicken or turkey. It would also be lovely mashed into potatoes adding extra flavour and texture to them. It is really quick and easy to make and a great addition to the meal. If you were feeling ambitious you could make a crust for the pork from it. The meal was delicious and was lovely to sit down to on a Sunday.
Skirlie Recipe
Skirlie
Ingredients
- 50 g of shredded suet
- 1 onion
- 175 g oatmeal
- Salt and pepper
- A pinch of mace
Instructions
- Melt the suet in a pan.
- Peel and chop the onion and cook gently in the pan until soft.
- Add the oatmeal, salt, pepper and mace and cook until the oats are slightly brown and have absorbed the fat.
- 2. Stir in the oatmeal, season and cook gently for 10 minutes.
Notes
Don’t be afraid to use plenty of seasoning, it adds to the flavour
Apples in Maple Whisky Sauce
Apples with a Maple Whisky Sauce
Ingredients
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 50 ml whisky
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 onion
- 2 apples
Instructions
- Peel and chop the onion
- Add to a pan with some oil and fry gently till soft.
- Add the stock and boil for a couple of minutes to reduce.
- Add the maple syrup, mustard, whisky and lemon juice and bring back to the boil.
- Core the apples and cut into slices.
- Add the apples to the sauce and cook gently until the apples soften, but are not mushy.
- Serve the apples with a sprinkle of the sauce. If preferred the onions can be served as well but I just served the apples.
Have you ever tried Skirlie? I would love to know.
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Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
Pork and apple is such a delicious combination isn’t it. I like the addition of maple and whisky!
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
Thank you, it definitely made the apples more exciting
North East Family Fun says
Looks yummy! #nebrilliantbloggers
Cheryl - Madhouse Family Reviews says
Ooh very interesting, I’d never heard of it before your blogpost 🙂
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
It is and it is really tasty as well, I am going to try it in the mash next time.
Yet Another Blogging Mummy!!! says
I have never heard of skirlie but it sounds really nice. As do the apples too. My mouth is watering #TastyTuesdays
Dragons and Fairy Dust says
Thanks. It is very tasty and filling. Definitely made the meal a bit different
Honest mum says
What a hearty, flavoursome dish! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x