A tasty recipe for fruity pork steaks with glazed plums and red cabbage

Looking for an exotic meal that will please a crowd? Try fruity pork steaks with glazed plums and red cabbage! Here's a quick recipe to help you get started.

• Preparation: 10 minutes.
• Cooking: 25 minutes.
• Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 red onions
• 400 g (14 oz) red cabbage
• 8 ripe plums
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil or canola oil
• 4 lean boneless pork loin chops, about 140 g (5 oz) each
• Pinch of ground cloves or allspice
• 100 ml (3 1/2 ounces) pomegranate juice drink
• 45 g (3 tbsp) raw or brown sugar
• 45 g (3 tbsp) red wine vinegar

Instructions:

1. Slice the onions, shred the red cabbage and cut the plums in half. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the pork steaks and cook for three minutes on each side, or until browned. Reduce heat to medium, add the onions and cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through. Transfer the steaks to a shallow dish, leaving the onions in the pan.
2. Add the cabbage and cloves or allspice to the pan and fry, stirring, for five minutes.
3. Pour in the pomegranate juice drink and bring to a boil. Return the pork to the pan with any juices from the dish. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for three minutes. Transfer the pork to four plates.
4. Add 15 grams (one tablespoon) each of sugar and vinegar to the cabbage and boil for 30 seconds, stirring, to glaze the cabbage. Divide among the plates of pork.
5. Add the plums to the pan, cut sides down. Sprinkle in the remaining 30 grams (two tablespoons) each of sugar and vinegar and cook over high heat for four minutes, shaking the pan so that the sugar dissolves.
6. Season to taste and divide the plums and their glaze among the plates and serve.

• 405 calories
• 17 g fat
• 4 g saturated fat
• 34 g carbohydrates
• 31 g protein
• 6 g fibre

• Grind six juniper berries in a mortar and pestle and use instead of the ground cloves or allspice.
• This recipe also works well with venison or lamb steaks.
• Instead of using fresh fruit, add 163 grams (5 1/2 ounces) thickly sliced pitted prunes or dried apricots in step 2. Stir the dried fruit into the cabbage before replacing the meat. Omit the extra 15 grams (one tablespoon) sugar and vinegar used to glaze the fruit in step 5.

To halve the plums, cut around the dimple in the fruit and twist the halves apart, leaving the pit in one half.

• Use a small pointed knife to cut out the pit.

• The goodness of plums, as with most fruit, is found in or around the skin — so don't peel them.
• Their nutritional benefits include potassium to help regulate blood pressure and fibre for keeping the digestive system healthy.
• Plums also contain antioxidants to help fight the signs of ageing.

The tangy, sweet-and-sour flavours of ripe plums and red wine vinegar work well with pork and cabbage. Keep this recipe in mind and serve this dish with fibre-rich mashed rutabaga and carrots for a real treat.