Creamy Pork and Cabbage Stew with Caraway Dumplings
EASIER
Makes 4 hearty servings
Pork shoulder makes this quite a rich dish. For a somewhat leaner dish, use boneless leg meat, sometimes called “fresh ham” (that is, not cured or smoked). But don’t even consider substituting cut-up boneless center-cut pork chops or pork loin because they’ll end up dry and tough. Instead, just go for it.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds boneless skinless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced into thin half-moons
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups shredded cored green cabbage
1½ teaspoons caraway seeds
½ pound fresh pizza dough
1. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a high-sided sauté pan or skillet set over medium heat. Add half the meat and brown it well, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the rest of the meat and brown it well, then transfer to the bowl.
2. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the top and stir to coat. Cook a few seconds, then pour in the cider and stock, stirring until the flour dissolves. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly.
3. Stir in the cream, mustard, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper until smooth. Stir the meat and any juices into the pan.
4. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
5. Stir in the cabbage and cook for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, knead the caraway seeds into the pizza dough, turning it onto itself, folding and refolding it, all while pulling and twisting it to get the seeds distributed uniformly throughout. Divide the prepared dough into 8 even balls.
6. Drop the dough balls into the stew, cover, and simmer slowly until the dumplings are puffed up and cooked through, about 15 minutes longer.
To make this stew in a pressure cooker, complete the recipe through step 3 in a stovetop pressure cooker over medium heat or an electric pressure cooker on the browning or sauté function. Once the meat is back in the mix, lock the lid on the pot and bring it to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 25 minutes in a stovetop pot (15 psi) or for 40 minutes in an electric pot (9 to 11 psi). Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal, then complete steps 5 and 6, either by setting the stovetop pot over medium-low heat or by turning the electric pot to its simmer function. When covering the pot in step 6, do not lock it in place or engage the pressure valve.