Meat baked with apples and herbs "for the holiday"
4 servings
120 minutes
This festive recipe for roasted meat with apples and aromatic herbs embodies culinary warmth and comfort. European traditions of roasting meat with fruits trace back to ancient gastronomic customs where apples added juiciness and tenderness to dense meat cuts. Pork infused with the aromas of rosemary, thyme, and garlic takes on a deep, rich flavor while the apples add a subtle sweetness and fruity tang. The dish is tender, literally melting in the mouth, making it perfect for a ceremonial dinner. Roasted meat is served with potatoes or fresh vegetables, and its rich taste makes it a worthy centerpiece for the festive table. This dish is not just a culinary delight but also a unique ritual of family gatherings.
1
Meat with fat for roasting, but any part will do. Ham or 'nut' is very good.
2
Remove the skin and veins from the piece of meat. Rinse and dry. We use the whole piece. On the fat, we make a 'grid' with a sharp knife, cutting down to the meat every 1 cm.
3
We rub the meat with salt and red and black pepper.
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Ground red pepper: to taste
4
In a bowl, mix rosemary, thyme, and crushed garlic in olive oil, stirring with a fork. Rub the meat thoroughly with the mixture, massaging it into the 'net' on the fat, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Rosemary: pinch
- Thyme: to taste
- Garlic: 6 cloves
5
Cut the onions into 4 pieces, and the carrots in half (across).
- Onion: 2 pieces
- Carrot: 1 piece
6
We take a deep dish that can be used for frying and baking in the oven (I have a cast iron casserole), preferably with a tightly closing lid, heat it (without oil), take the meat, and fry it until golden brown on all sides over high heat, pressing it to the bottom of the dish with tongs, the fat will turn reddish.
- Pork: 500 g
7
Without removing the meat, add the onion and fry until golden brown. Once the onion is fried, spread it evenly on the bottom of the pan, place the meat that has been fried on all sides on top, and add the carrot and bay leaf. Pour boiling water up to about half of the piece of meat or a little less. It's important not to overfill with water so that the meat doesn't boil.
- Onion: 2 pieces
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Bay leaf: to taste
8
We take a sheet of parchment paper, wet it under the tap, squeeze it out, and cover the meat on top, this is for 'vacuum', we cover it tightly with a lid (if there is no lid, it can be made from foil). Place it in a preheated oven at 180-200 degrees for an hour.
9
We open in an hour; by then some water will have evaporated and the meat will absorb something — we add halved apples without the core; if the apples are small, we put them in whole. If there's very little water left - we add a bit of boiling water to prevent burning. We take a new parchment sheet, wet it under the tap since the old one is dry and crumbling; if not available, we simply cover it with the previous sheet and seal it tightly again. We set it for about another hour.
- Antonov apples: 4 g
10
After an hour, we take it out, check the meat - it should be well cooked and easily fall apart into fibers.
11
Mashed potatoes or baked potatoes are great as a side dish, can be served with a vegetable salad, or at the very beginning, layers of cabbage can be placed with carrots for an excellent vegetable side dish. Enjoy your meal!