Pan-fried pork fillet with celeriac and apple slaw
A fresh slant on classic coleslaw. Pork is so delicious when done right, and so easy to do badly. Whenever I cook a smaller piece I tend to use a combo of hob and oven, getting a good colour on the meat in a pan on the hob first, then using the oven to cook it through. That's the difficulty - roast a shoulder or leg of pork and the difference between perfection and rubber is a matter of minutes. (Saying that, pork does have some of the more forgiving cuts too - slow-roasted, gooey, dark ribs, sticking to your teeth like treacle - finger-food of the highest order, or soft belly stewed in rice wine and soy for hours until it falls into delicious shreds...) I am quite fond of healthy pork fillet too, which I have used here - it's versatile and useful, a handy standby for an after work supper. Give yourself a head-start when you're cooking pork and buy some really good, organic stuff - it's worth splashing out.
Ingredients to serve 4 as a light lunch
- 250g white cabbage
- 250g celeriac
- 2 tart apples, like Cox
- 3 or 4 tablespoons good mayonnaise
- a handful of raisins
- a handful of walnuts
- the juice of 1 lemon
- 1 pork fillet
- a sprig of thyme
Mix the mayonnaise, the lemon juice (whisk this in) the raisins, walnuts and some seasoning.
A mandolin will make your life much easier here, alternatively use the grating attachment of your food mixer, or a normal hand-held grater. At a pinch just use a really sharp knife and cut the vegetables into matchstick as thin as you can. Add them as you go to the mayo to stop them discolouring.
Once you've made the slaw, cut the pork fillet into four pieces. Get a pan fairly hot and add a good knob of butter, some olive oil and the thyme (just leave it on its stalk, lob the lot in and take it out at the end), and when bubbling, add the pork. Continue cooking until the pork is golden brown all over and cooked through, probably about fifteen minutes or so. A little tip - to colour the ends of the pieces, stand them up and lean them against the sides of the pan.
When cooked, allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving with a big spoonful of the slaw and some good, crusty bread.
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