We’ve all got those family recipes that are classics but maybe not the most appealing. They may make us a bit nostalgic, but the reality is that some are kind of weird.

Not necessarily in a gross way, but in a way that makes you question, “Why exactly would we ever think to put this in our mouths?”. Yeah, there are a few of those in my family. One of them is pork pudding.

I grew up eating pork pudding. My mom and my grandmother both made it, and I loved it. It was like a fancy mashed potato casserole in a weird gelatinous form. My brothers preferred a meatloaf version that was topped with a layer of ketchup, making it a total sweet/savory dish. Both were great, but neither were as tasty as the other sweets in our house.

Pork pudding is kind of like a casserole made with ground pork (ground pork? not sure why my family didn’t call it what it was…ground pork…) mixed with gelatin, corn flakes, and other ingredients. It gets baked and then served with a gravy slathered over the top.

I’ve been making this pork pudding recipe for nearly 4 years. It’s a favorite. But my family isn’t the only one who loves it. I had several friends tell me it’s something they’d like to see more of. I thought I’d throw it in for the blog this year, and add a new spin to it.

This version is a little more casserole-like. It’s layered and made with a corn flake and panko crust. It’s then topped with a delicious blanket of gravy. And the whole thing is SO good. It’s the kind of dish that you need to be careful because it’s so delicious you could eat 2/3 of it before you’ve even taken a picture. And that’s what I did. True story.

This dish would be the perfect addition to your holiday menu, but I really think you should make it all the time. It’s that good.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (120g) pistachios, shelled

• 1/2 cup (100g) raisins

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried apricots, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried cherries

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried pineapple chunks

• 1 cup (100g) dried apple, chopped

• 1 cup (100g) dried peaches, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried mango, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried papaya, chopped

• 1 cup (100g) dried banana, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried pears, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried dates, chopped

• 1/2 cup (100g) dried apricots, chopped

• 2 cups (500g) pork, cooked and shredded

• 1 cup (250ml) chicken broth

• 1 cup (250ml) milk

• 1/2 cup (125g) butter

• 1/2 cup (125g) sugar

• 1/2 cup (125g) brown sugar

• 1/2 cup (125g) heavy cream

• 1/2 cup (125g) cornstarch

• 1/4 cup (60ml) water

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Place pistachios, raisins, apricots, cranberries, cherries, pineapple, apple, peaches, mango, papaya, banana, pears, dates, and apricots in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add the pork and stir to combine.
4. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, milk, butter, sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, cornstarch, water, and salt to a boil.
5. Pour the sauce over the pork and fruit mixture and stir to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
7. Bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
8. Let