Pork Cutlets with Chestnut & Apple Hash

I loved cooking with Simon Arkless, head chef of Terrace Restaurant at beautiful All Saints Estate. They grow pork and lamb at the estate, so Simon was the perfect person to give me a masterclass in marinating and cooking meat. We serve his beautiful pork with a lovely seasonal side dish of chestnut and apples. Apple cider ties both elements of the dish together.

This dish is a lovely illustration of how Thermomix can be used to get on with one part of the meal while you deal with something on the cooktop.

Serves: 2 (hash serves 4-6, cook more pork to feed more people)
Time: 30 minutes

Method

Pork

1. Rub pork with garlic, honey, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.

Gremolata

2. Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and pulse Turbo/1 sec/2 times, or until chopped. This can also be done in a small blender or with a stick blender. Set aside. Do not clean mixing bowl.

Chestnut and apple hash

If you don’t have a Thermomix, this can be done with knife, chopping board and saucepan.

3. Place onion in mixing bowl and chop 2 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula.
4. Add butter and olive oil and cook 3 min/Varoma/speed 1.
5. 
Add cubed apples and cook 3 min/100°C (212°F)/Rev/speed 1.
6. 
Add chestnuts and cook 2 min/100°C (212°F)/Rev/speed 1.
7. Add cider and cook 3 min/100°C (212°F)/Rev/speed 1, MC off.
8. Add half the gremolata and the chopped silverbeet. Cook 2 min/100°C (212°F)/Rev/speed 1, MC on.

To serve

9. Heat olive oil over a medium high heat, in a heavy based pan or grill plate and grill pork cutlets for 3-4 minutes each side, or until cooked. Add butter and apple cider when almost cooked. Serve with hash and extra gremolata.

Tips

• Cook and peel your own chestnuts (see how here) or buy pre-cooked and peeled chestnuts, such as these. If cooking your own chestnuts, start with 300 grams (10.5 oz) raw chestnuts.
• Warrigal greens are a native Australian green that’s like spinach but juicier. You could use any green leaf for this, such as silverbeet, or even a bitter leaf such as radicchio.
• You know what I’d love to drink while I’m cooking this? Apple cider, perhaps, but also this wonderful Rhubarb Saffrontini!

Chestnut Focus

I love chestnuts and had so much fun creating this and other delicious chestnut recipes in Victoria’s High Country. I even had the pleasure of visiting Hall Stanley Chestnut farm and hand-picking chestnuts. Enjoy my chestnut farm visit here and then check out these delicious chestnut recipes:

• Castagnaccio,
• Chestnut Butter (or with a little dark chocolate this easily becomes chestnutella),
• Necci, two ingredient chestnut pancakes with instant pear bircher muesli,
• Simple Roasted Chestnuts and a Marron, Chestnut and Pine Mushroom Risotto

More about this video

I filmed the video for this recipe at Beechworth Honey in Victoria’s high country.

I went on the road with chefs and sommeliers from MoVida as they sourced produce for two High Country Harvest events. It’s always such an enriching – and tasty – experience to visit food at its source, and I loved seeing it through the eyes of some of the country’s most talented and dedicated cooks and wine guys.

Enjoy the videos then head over to High Country Harvest for more than 50 ways you can eat and drink the region during this year’s festival.

The High Country is a large and varied region in Victoria’s north-east, about three hours from Melbourne. People often think of it as a place for outdoorsy activities, and there’s certainly plenty of skiing, cycling, horse riding and bushwalking. But I am passionate about discovering destinations through their food and drink, and the High Country certainly lets you do that. It’s not just that the food and wine is great, it’s also that the people producing it are dedicated (even dogged!) and super passionate about doing what they do where they do it.

A girl’s gotta get dressed. Today I’m wearing Obus.