Æbleflæsk means apple pork, and that is an honest account of it: slices of cured pork belly fried until crisp, then tossed with tart apples and onion cooked in the drippings, a little sugar and a little thyme. Nobody is quite certain where it began, but it is most at home on Funen, the island in the middle of Denmark, and it appears every December on the long tables of the julefrokost, the Christmas lunch.

It is the kind of dish that sounds like a compromise between breakfast and dessert and turns out to be neither. The apples go soft and jammy, the pork stays crisp and salty, and a slice of rye underneath catches everything. Twenty five minutes from start to table, it is an excellent answer to an autumn race that starts at lunchtime.

The pork

Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340 g) thick cut bacon or cured pork belly slices

Method

1. Cut the bacon into pieces about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) long. Put them in the cold skillet, then set it over medium heat. Fry for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and turning now and then as the fat melts.
2. Lift the pork onto the paper towels with the tongs. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the pan and pour off the rest into a heatproof cup to discard once cool.

Apples and onion

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow or red onion
• 3 firm tart apples
• 1 tablespoon light brown or white sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• to taste salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Method

1. While the pork fries, peel the onion, halve it and slice it into thin half moons. Quarter the apples, cut out the cores and cut each quarter into 3 or 4 wedges. You can leave the skins on for color.
2. Put the onion into the pork fat over medium heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring.
3. Add the apples, sprinkle with the sugar and thyme and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning them gently with the spatula every minute or so.
4. Return the pork to the pan and toss gently for 1 minute to warm it through. Taste, add pepper and only add salt if needed. Scatter with the chives.

To serve

Ingredients

• 4 to 8 slices dark rye bread
• 1 tablespoon salted butter or lard

Method

1. Spread the rye thinly with butter or lard if you like, and pile the æbleflæsk on top, or serve it in a dish with the bread alongside.

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