Slow-cooked Coriander & Cumin Pork Sandwiches

Naming these sandwiches was taxing. There are so many ingredients, so many delicate elements, so it’s difficult to tell what the salient flavours really are. Pesto and camembert? Pork Vienna? Personally, I’d be sold with “Really Cheesy Pork Sandwiches”, but I understand most people don’t exactly share the insatiable love of my favourite dairy product.

After much deliberation (and apologising to the the cheese deities), I decided to let the pork have its glory. Melting, luscious, and gently spiced, it truly is the heart of the sandwich.

On the note of pork, however, I have given ingredients for a large quantity. If you’re going to bust out the slow cooker, it’s worth making a decent batch. You obviously won’t use all the meat in a couple of sandwiches, as the total amount would feed 6 or more. Nevertheless, there’s certainly no shame in having a bowl of this tender meat hiding in your fridge – and I do mean hiding. You’ll need to keep it out of sight of any prowling snackers if you want it to last!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 5 hours (don’t worry, most of this is in the slow cooker!)

Ingredients:

Slow-cooked Pork:

– 1 kg pork chops (approximately)

– 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds

– 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds

– 1 Tablespoon paprika

– 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

– freshly ground black pepper and salt

– 1 clove garlic, crushed

To assemble: (Serves 1)

– 2 thick slices bread of choice (I used cheese Vienna loaf)

– 1 slice cheese (I like Colby here)

– butter, to spread

– 1 Tablespoon pesto

– 3 thin slices camembert cheese

– 1 small handful baby spinach

– 1/4 carrot, peeled into strips

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients for the slow-cooked pork in a slow cooker. Cook on high heat for 4 – 4 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very soft. Remove the meat from its juices, de-bone, and pull apart with two forks. Transfer the liquid in the slow cooker to a small saucepan (on the stove) and boil until reduced and syrupy.

2. Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven’s grill t 200 degrees Celsius. For each sandwich, butter one slice of bread and lay (Colby) cheese on the other, and place these on a tray (facing upwards). Grill until the cheese bubbles and the bread is toasty.

3. On your serving plate, use the buttered slice of bread as the bottom half. Spread over pesto, top with a generous helping of pork, then layer over camembert, spinach, and carrot. Drizzle over a spoonful of the reduced saucepan liquid and top with the cheesy slice of bread. Secure with a toothpick if desired, and enjoy! 🙂

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