Long and slow...

...that's the best way to cook a casserole.

Today I made a pork and cider casserole which turned out pretty well, despite horrifying both my mother and my husband by my extravagance for using 2 cans of cider in it. But it's enough for 2 meals, and tasted good. Even fussy younger son liked it.

Into my large cauldron went:

1kg diced casserole pork (picked up reduced at the supermarket yesterday)
5 medium-sized onions, peeled and sliced
about 1/3 of a head of celery, sliced finely
8 largish carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
2 cans of Strongbow cider
salt
pepper
the stalks from a good handful of flat-leaf parsley from the garden
about 1tbsp (home grown!) dried sage
400g can chopped tomatoes
250g mushrooms, quartered
After letting it sit for a couple of hours, I added one Granny Smith apple, cored and diced, turned the heat on and brought it to a gentle boil, then turned the heat right down and let it burble very gently for about 3 hours.
I thickened it with a couple of dessertspoons of cornflour, mixed with a crumbled vegetable Oxo cube and a bit more salt and pepper, plus about 150 ml water, then let it burble some more while I cooked rice and green beans to go with it.
Enough for 3 portions today and will comfortably do 4 more portions later in the week, so that's one day I don't have to think about food after work!

Also planned for this week: the legendary Minced Trolley Meat Loaf.