Kothner Schusterrpfanne, the shoemakers pot

This is a casserole that is more in keeping with the new varieties of pare cider, or Perry as we used to call them before tea marketing men realised if you call it cider you can charge twice as much. But that is a different story and this is a German stew that is good wholesome and hearty once more. 

You will need

1kg/2lb pork loin chops

3 large potatoes

3 large green ripe pears

A good pinch of dried  marjoram

A good pinch of dried dill

A good pinch of  caraway seed

1 chicken stock cube

 500ml/1pt water2 cups

2tbsp cornstarch

Season well with salt and pepper .

Now you can use other cuts of pork but this cooks the best and quickest for a dish like this. Now I use fresh herbs normally but the recipes I have seen all favour dried herbs, at the end of the day it is down to you and what you have at hand. Also the herbs are infused in the stock so I suppose it does not really matter.

First, peeled and cut the potatoes into cubes then peeled and peeled, core, and cut the pears into half. Take a shallow dish and arrange the pork down the middle, then arrange the pares and potatoes around the pork. Season well with salt and pepper.

Now in a pan add the dried  marjoram, dill and caraway seeds with the water and a stock cube and bring to the boil. Now take this stock and add it to the dish with the pork. Place this in the oven and bake for about 1 to 1½ hours.  Until the potatoes are nicely cooked and the pork is fully cooked.

Then take the meat potatoes and pares out of the dish and pour the liquid in to a pan. Mix the corn starch with a little cold water and add that to the liquid to thicken the sauce then spoon this over the pork.