Napoleon (or perhaps Frederick the Great)said that ‘armies march on their stomachs’. The same goes for Woolshedwargamers and Mrs Woolshedwargamers. As many of those who know me personally know I am not the slimmest person in the world – I probably rank about middling in the Wargamer Sizing Chart for clothes. I like food and I like cooking.

Recently I discovered the Youtube channel of Jas. Townsend and Sons who do 18th and early-19th Century reenactment cooking with original recipes and as far as possible, original cooking implements and methods. This is one of his recipes adapted to our thoroughly 1970s kitchen.

Pork A La Normand (Pork and Apples cooked in Cider)

First thing is to coat the pork in the flour. 1/3 cup of flour seems a lot but the wholemeal flour really thickens the gravy up during cooking.

Now heat up some butter (how much? A decent wodge*. Brown off your flour coated pork pieces and set aside. Don’t over cook the pork – just brown them off until they have some colour on them.

Now saute your chopped onion and diced apples until the onion starts to go translucent. Add the nutmeg and seasoning and stir in. Let the spices cook for a few more minutes then add the cider and let it simmer for another few minutes. Exactly how much cider is up to you. I like to cover the ingredients.

Return the reserved pork pieces to the pan and let simmer for at least thirty minutes. This dish matures so the longer you cook it the more tender the pork and richer the flavour. I like a fairly runny gravy so didn’t reduce the sauce as much as Jas. Townsend & Sons did. next time I might use a bit less cider and see how it goes.

This was served with roasted potato pieces, steamed asparagus and a mix of sauteed cabbage/silverbeet and bell pepper. Pour the rest of your cider into a glass and enjoy.

For you Yanks and others.

*Wodge

Full Definition of wodge

chiefly British : a bulky mass or chunk : lump, wad