There’s an expression that sums up living in New England in the fall: “We take half of our pay in the view.” The leaves have started to turn but they aren’t at peak quite yet. And once the leaves are bright gold, red and orange, the delicious aroma of apples will float into my open car windows while I’m driving down the road. I think it’s pretty magical, but in reality the smell comes from apples that have fallen from trees and are disintegrating on the ground. But I don’t dwell on the science of the aroma – I just look forward to it.
So, with the evening temperatures falling into the 40’s I started craving the smell of apples. It’s my Pavlovian response to autumn.
I had a pork tenderloin in the fridge and onions in the vegetable bowl – all I needed to fulfill my olfactory craving was a granny smith apple and some apple cider. Once I had those, I was all set for an afternoon of sniffing the air happily.
Oh, and the finished pork was amazingly tender and the apples and onions melded together with the apple cider and wine to create a hearty sauce.
Apple Cider Braised Pork Tenderloin with Apples, Onions and Carrots
- 1 pork tenderloin
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 3 onions, roughly chopped
- 3 carrots, diced into 2 inch pieces
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1 cup of apple cider
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
Season the pork with salt and pepper on all 4 sides. Heat olive oil in large soup pot or dutch oven until hot but not smoking. Add the pork loin and sear each side until it’s browned, about 4 minutes a side. (Be careful! The oil could splatter.) Add the onion, carrots, broth, wine, cider and thyme. Cover the pot and cook on medium low for 2 hours. Add the apple, and let the pork cook for another hour. The pork is done when it registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.
