ROCKING Fennel and Apple Slaw

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

You can never put too much pork in your mouth as far as I’m concerned. (Lewis Black)

I love pork. I r e a l l y love it. And, not a week goes by that we don’t pick up some cut of the best-pork-in-the-whole-world from the lovely team at Linga Longa. I’m not kidding – their pork is so good that I’m salivating just thinking about it… It just melts in your mouth.

And don’t even get me started about their bacon.

The Linga Longa stand is our first stop during our weekly jaunt to the farmers market at Eveleigh. And, I would still love them, even if they didn’t tell me every week that Bella is their favourite market dog!  Anyhoo, this week I picked up 2.8 kilos – that’s just over a whopping 6 pounds for you Americans! – of pork neck. I guess-timated that this amount of meat would just squeeze into my Le Creuset… It did, but it was a tight fit!

Now, I’m no expert (and I’ll be confirming this with Greg from Linga Longa on Saturday), but I’m pretty sure that this is the very same cut as the ‘Boston Butt’ I keep reading about in all the U.S. recipes for pulled pork.

I ended up making a very tasty pulled pork with my ‘Boston Butt’. I’ll post the recipe after I’ve tweaked it a bit more. Of course, it may take a wee while – I have an awful lot of meat to get through!

It almost goes without saying that coleslaw is the traditional accompaniment to pulled pork. The thing is, the temperature has suddenly taken a dive here, so I played around with a slaw that might just be considered a tad more wintery. Apples marry so well with pork, and so does fennel – seems almost logical to pair them both up in my slaw.

Don’t just eat McDonald’s, get something a bit better. Eat a salad. That’s what fashion is. It’s something that is a bit better. (Vivienne Westwood)

For this recipe, it definitely helps if you have a mandolin. You could chop the apples and fennel by hand, but so MUCH easier (and faster) with a mandolin…

[recipe title=”ROCKING Fennel & Apple Slaw” servings=”4 ” time=”20 minutes + sitting time” difficulty=”easy-peasey”]

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 x small or 1 x large granny smith apples
1 medium head of fennel
1/2 x small red onion
1/8 cup best quality EVOO
1 x Tablespoon freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

1. Pop your lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl.

2. Peel and core your apples. Julienne into match sticks using your mandolin. Toss the apples in the lemon juice (this stops them from browning).

3. Wash and julienne your fennel. Add to the apples.

4. Remembering to change the blade on your mandolin, finely slice the red onion Add to the apples and fennel.

5. Add the olive oil and parsley. Season well to taste.

6. Leave for at least 30 minutes before serving. (All slaws improve in flavour after sitting!) Check seasoning once more.

6. Serve with a generous dollop of coconut yoghurt and raspberry sauce.

E N J O Y ! [/recipe]

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Roundtable.