Tourangelle Style Pork and Prunes

Pork with prunes was once a traditional local dish made with the little pruneaux de Tours. But pruneaux de Tours no longer exist. A series of bad frosts in the mid-twentieth century meant the crop of small oval yellow Sainte Catherine plums grown in small orchards around Sainte Maure de Touraine and other Tourangeau communities failed, and what had been a significant cottage industry producing a unique local product came to an end. So if I want to make pork with prunes, Tourangelle style, I have to use the bigger and more famous pruneaux d'Agen, which come from further south, in Lot-et-Garonne.

Tourangelle style pork and prunes.

Like most traditional main courses from this area, it features pork. The flavours are delicate and the technique simple. There aren't many ingredients.

Pork and onions for the recipe.

Ingredients

1 kg boned pork shoulder, cut into 2 cm chunks

20 prunes without stones

150 ml still demi-sec Vouvray white wine

250 ml chicken stock

2 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp butter

200 ml cream

3 sprigs of thyme

A bay leaf

2 yellow onions (Mulhouse variety), peeled, halved and sliced

Method

1. Cover the prunes with water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Drain the prunes and set aside.
3. Heat the oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a deep frying pan.
4. Brown the pork, in batches if necessary, then put aside.
5. Melt the rest of the butter and soften the onions.
6. Add the wine and boil for 2 minutes.
7. Add herbs and stock then boil for 10 minutes to reduce by half.
8. Add prunes, pork and cream and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Leave to sit and flavours to develop for several hours.
10. Reheat and serve with rice.

Serves 6 - 8. 

Prunes.