Meat is expensive!

There’s no getting away from the fact that over the last few years it has become far too expensive for some to afford to eat meat on a regular basis. However, by using less expensive cuts of meat and recipes like our pork casserole, healthy, hearty and satisfying meals can be enjoyed by everyone

It’s important to include high quality protein within your diet and meat is the obvious way to do that.

As budgets are squeezed, buying meat sometimes becomes a ‘luxury’ purchase. Take a look around the supermarket and you will find some good quality, inexpensive cuts that can fit into the tightest of budgets.

Chicken is usually the most inexpensive meat per KG to buy at the moment. That is if you opt for a whole chicken or legs or thighs with the bone and skin on. When the pieces are processed in a factory to remove skin and bones, the price rises dramatically.

The next most affordable cut is pork shoulder. This is ideal for casseroles such as our delicious Pork Casserole gently warmed with curry spices.. It is one of the tougher cuts so it benefits from long slow cooking but it imparts it’s rich flavour into the casserole as it slowly cooks.

For this recipe we use pork shoulder but it can be made with any meat you like. Chicken legs or thighs work well or even some leftover meat from a roasting joint. We like it best when made with fresh pork shoulder (or leg or even pork chops if they are on offer!).

We also gently warm this pork casserole with mild curry spice to make this a really tasty dish!

Make it your own family favourite

With any casserole recipe, you can look on them really as a starting point. Add whatever vegetables you like, use whatever meat you can afford or have leftover. You can also add some extra protein with the addition pulses such as a tin of butter beans or cannellini beans. This is an inexpensive way to bulk out the casserole for feeding a family without breaking the budget!

Spices are also another way to ring the changes. We have used a basic mild curry powder mix (Tesco) to add a gentle warmth and subtle spice flavours to this pork casserole. You can of course spice it up further with a stronger curry powder or even add some finely chopped fresh chilies (ideal if you are growing these in your garden or even on your windowsill!) or a pinch of chili powder

If you have a large enough casserole dish, you can always make extra and store in the freezer ready for another day!

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The Recipe for Pork Casserole

As I mentioned before, think of this as the basic recipe for pork casserole that you can tweak by adding your favourite root vegetables. Swede, turnip, and parsnip work well. I often make it just like this with nothing more that carrots, potatoes, onions, pork and stock with curry powder. I then serve it in bowls with my Everyday Bread Rolls Recipe on the side to mop up the delicious spicy gravy at the end!

Ingredients

serves 4

• Pork shoulder – cubed into 1″ / 2.5cm pieces – a 1kg piece will give you plenty (about 600-700g) after the rind and any excess fat has been removed – you can use less if you want to and add in some more protein in the form of tinned beans – cannellini beans, butter beans etc.
• 2 x medium onions – peeled and sliced finely
• 2 x sticks of celery – finely chopped –this is totally optional but worth adding in if you happen to have celery in your fridge
• Carrots – 4 large carrots or about 500g peeled and sliced thickly – more if you really like carrots!!
• Potatoes – 4 medium potatoes – peeled & cut into chunks – use more if you like!
• Chicken stock – 800ml – made with 3 x Chicken OXO cubes (or other equivalent stock cubes can be used)
• Plain Flour – 1 heaped tablespoon
• Curry powder – 1 dessertspoon (which is 2 x teaspoons) – use mild for a gentle warmth or medium for more heat! Or do as I do and use 1 teaspoon of mild and one of medium for a balance between the two!
• Black pepper – freshly ground for preference – use plenty! I use a small pepper mill and add in about 12 twists but this is definitely one to add to your taste
• Vegetable oil – 1 tablespoon

How to make pork casserole

Pre-heat your oven to 180°c / 160°c fan / gas 4

Heat the vegetable oil over a medium heat in a large flameproof & ovenproof casserole dish.

Add the cubed pork in batches to the dish and brown all over. Remove the pork from the dish onto a plate and set aside.

Add the sliced onions and chopped celery, if using, to the casserole dish. Gently cook until they are softened but not browned – about 10 minutes.

Add in the sliced carrots and turn up the heat slightly. We now want the vegetables to get a slight tinge of colour but stir every now and then to stop them burning!

Now add in the potatoes and stir them in to mix with the other vegetables along with the browned pork.

Sprinkle over the plain flour and stir through, carry on cooking for 1 minute.

Pour over the chicken stock and stir over a high heat to get the mixture up to bubbling point – it should thicken a little.

When the stock has thickened and is bubbling gently, put the casserole dish lid on. Pop it into the oven for about 1 1/2 hours

Check that the vegetables are cooked through and that the stock is not too thick. If it is just add a little more water and pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes.

Serve generous portions in bowls with some Homemade Bread Rolls and enjoy!

Don’t waste the oven heat!

The casserole will happily cook away at the bottom of the oven leaving you the upper shelves to cook other things. Our Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe or our Country Slice Cake Recipe are baked at the same temperature.

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