We have dishes that combine fruit with fish, meat, and poultry quite often. Although this sometimes just uses juices, as above, more often we like actual fruit. For instance:

Persian Chicken and Peaches

1 can (29 oz) peach slices
3 tbls flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 broiler-fryer (about 3 1/2 lbs) cut in serving pieces*
3 tbls oil
1 tbls butter
1 lg onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup celery, minced
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 1/2 tbls brown sugar
1 tbls tarragon vinegar
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Drain peaches, reserving 1 cup syrup. Combine flour, oregano, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture; brown in oil and transfer to a casserole or baking dish. Saute onion, garlic, celery and carrot in remaining oil. Blend in remaining ingredients, including reserved syrup. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees, 35-40 minutes. Add peach slices and bake 10 minutes more our until chicken is tender.

*Or sub skinless/boneless breasts, cut in serving pieces.

I've been making that one for more than 25 years, after finding it in a small cookbook called The Joy of Chicken. More recently, we "discovered" this:

PORK CHOPS WITH PEAR & GINGER SAUCE

4 boneless chops, inch thick, trimmed
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp oil 3 tbls cider vinegar
2 tbls sugar
2/3 cup chicken broth
1 firm ripe pear, peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into eighths
1 1 ½-inch piece ginger, cut in thin julienne strips
6 scallions, trimmed and cut into ½-inch lengths
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water

Season pork with salt & pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and cook until browned and just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. Pour off fat from pan.

Add vinegar and sugar to the pan; stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until the syrup turns dark amber, 10-20 seconds. Pour in wine and bring to a simmer, stirring. Add broth, pears and ginger; bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, turning the pears occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add scallions and cook until the pears are tender, about 2 minutes more. Add the cornstarch mixture, stirring, until lightly thickened. Reduce heat to low and return the pork and any accumulated juices to the pan; turn to coat with the sauce.

This recipe serves 4. I used a half-loin cut into 6 "chops" and upped the ingredients accordingly.

This next just uses juice. But it was one of my mom's favorites before she died, and we have it from time to time. Designed for fish, the sauce works well as a basting sauce for poultry.

Fisn in Orange Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup margarine
1 cup chopped onion
4 tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup orange juice
2 tbls orange juice concentrate
2 tsp salt
1 tbls brown sugar

Saute onions in margarine (I use butter) until tender. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes. Add orange juices, salt and sugar; simmer anotther 5 minutes. Pour over 2 pounds fish filets (mom loved this with flounder; works great with tilapia). Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

I'm just the opposite, actually. I really like meat and fruit together. It all began with the old Chicken and Apricot of how-many-years-ago! The combination still works well. Of course, pork with apple sauce has always been a winning combination, but you can use pears, rhubarb, peaches, raspberries or even passionfruit with equal success. I am reminded of my first husband, who was shocked and stunned the first time I served him a hot meat with salad on the side. Hot and cold together? NEVER! According to him. He died a tragic death soon after his 25th birthday, so he wasn't around to be subjected to my later culinary explorations. (I wonder what he'd have said if I'd served him flowers??) I guess, as with all things, it's what you're used to - but the meat/fruit thing really broadens your horizons in such a delicious way!

Pork Chops with Rhubarb
500g rhubarb, cut into chunks
4 tablespoons butter
4 large pork chops
2 tablespoons flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon honey
pinch cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Boil the rhubarb for 5 minutes, drain. Melt the butter in a frypan. Dip chops in the flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, and fry gently in the butter until cooked through, turning once. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm. Add the rhubarb to meat juices in the pan, stir in the honey and cinnamon. Cook gently, stirring frequently until rhubarb is tender. Serve pork and rhubarb together, each chop garnished with a little chopped parsley. (According to the sweetness of the rhubarb and your own taste, sweeten the rhubarb with more honey, or use Angelica stems, or sharpen it with a little lemon juice.)

Raspberry Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup cream
1 cup fresh raspberries
fresh mint sprigs, for garnish
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Fry 5 minutes on each side in melted butter. Remove chicken, add onion and saute until tender. Replace chicken, add vinegar and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Remove chicken; keep warm. Reduce heat to low, add cream and 3/4 cup of the berries; heat, stirring gently. Spoon sauce over chicken and top with remaining berries. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Pork with Brandied Peaches
4 pork loin chops or steaks, excess fat removed
flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg
salt and pepper
breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Secure chops in a round shape with toothpicks. Roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs. Heat oil and fry chops until golden brown, turning occasionally. Serve with Brandied Peaches.

Brandied Peaches:
150g can peach halves
1/3 cup brandy
4cm cinnamon stick

Place peach syrup in a saucepan with the cinnamon, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon, stir in brandy. Add peach halves and heat through gently.

Veal With Orange
4 veal steaks, 1cm thick
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large oranges
2 tablespoons dry sherry
salt and pepper

Heat butter and oil and brown veal quickly on each side. Cook for a few minutes, then flame with heated sherry. When flames die down, place steaks on a warm dish. Add the juice of one orange to the pan, boil to reduce a little, season with salt and pepper. Peel and slice remaining orange and add to the dish. Heat through. Serve steaks garnished with orange slices and with sauce poured over.

Mango Chicken (1)
1.5kg chicken pieces
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
1 cup mango slices

Heat oil in frying pan; add chicken pieces and brown. Pour off fat and add soy sauce to chicken. Add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook on low until almost tender. Add mango and cook 10 more minutes.

Heavenly Meatballs
250g chuck or blade steak
1 cup canned, drained pineapple pieces
1 large onion,
3/4 cup syrup from pineapple
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
1 dessertspoon cornflour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon sherry
1 tablespoon soy sauce
snipped shallot greens

Mince the steak and onion together, add salt, sherry and lightly beaten egg, form into balls and coat lightly with cornflour. Fry in deep, hot oil until browned. Pour off oil, add pineapple syrup and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in pineapple pieces. Mix together cornflour, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir into pan and simmer, stirring for 2 minutes. Add shallots and simmer another minute. Serve with plain boiled rice.

I love meat and fruit combinations. Quite often I'll make fruit as a side dish. When I grill pork chops I also grill fresh peaches and brush them with the same glaze, usually a soy based glaze of some kind, I don't need a recipe. I just mix something up, like soy sauce with maple syrup and a little fresh gratings of ginger. I'll make fried apples while cooking pork chops on the stove and add mango to chicken dishes. I make a lot of fruit salsa'a also. Can't forget the old pineapple/ham combo either.

Here's a recipe that Teresa posted in the fall and I have made it 4 times since she posted.....It's that good!

Posted by teresa_nc7 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 9, 06 at 21:07

This recipe just says "Fall" to me!
Huron Country Pork Stew

2 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
12 small white onions, peeled
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 cup diced celery
4 Granny Smith apples (peeled and cored), diced
1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Trim the pork of excess fat and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. Place the flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the pork cubes in the flour. Spread the pork cubes out on a board to allow flour to dry while you render the bacon.

Place bacon in a Dutch oven or large, heavy saucepan over medium heat and saute until it begins to render its fat. Brown all the pork cubes on all sides, a few at a time. Remove pork from the pan and reserve. Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat.

Place the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in the pan and saute until the onions are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Return the pork to the pan and add the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer, loosely covered, for 1 hour or until the pork is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. Serve with hot cornbread or biscuits.

Note: If you prefer a thicker sauce, whisk 1/2 cup of the sauce together with 1 or 2 tablespoons flour.
Stir this mixture back into the Dutch oven and cook for an additional 7 to 10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and the flour is cooked.

Serves 6
Source: John Hadamuscin's Enchanted Evenings

Nancy

Would now be a good time to point out that a tomato is really a fruit and if you eat spaghetti with meatballs in a tomato based sauce, or lasagna with meat and tomato sauce or pizza with red sauce and pepperoni, you're getting meat and fruit?

Yeah, I didn't think so. (grin)

Truthfully, I like fruit and meat but I seem to like certain fruits with certain meats. Apples and pork, for instance. Citrus goes well with fish. Pears go with everything because, well, because I like pears!

Annie

There does seem to be some natural affinities. Pork and apples for sure. But also pork and prunes. Citrus with fish, certainly. But also with fowl, as in the classic duck d'orange. Grapes and fowl seem to be natural pairs, too, particular with game birds such as quail and partridge. And, in the form of raisins, grapes pair with almost anything.

And let's not forget small fruits. Cranberry pot roast, for instance, goes back to pre-contact Native Americans, and is just as good today.

But there are great surprises, too. I don't often think of pairing citrus with beef. But I once had tangerine beef that was to kill for. Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe. And citrus is often part of a marinade for flank steak.

Pineapple pairs nicely with shellfish. But also with pork. And sometimes beef.

As for pears, well: It's you and me against the world, Annie, cuz there actually are people who don't like pears, with or without meat. In my experience, more who don't like them then who do. Poor babies.

There are certain fruit and "meat" combos though, that just don't work...I am reminded of one blueberry and something that didn't make it...
But there are certain things that are no brainers....like...apples, pears, peaches aand apricots with fowl and pork ( you can tell I live in Iowa...because no mention was made of mango!) And berries with fowl...like raspberries, currents, cranberries etc.
And cutrus with fish and shellfish.
Now, to cross these borders takes some thought....don't think I would care for strawberry beef roast.
Linda C

Thanks for the ideas and recipes. I've made Theresa's pork stew and it's great. Aren't olives a fruit?

Here's one I've posted before that's my idea of an ideal old-time "ladies lunch" dish, and also a way to use up leftover ham scraps. The recipe originally called for 1 Tbsp. of brown sugar so you may want to increase it.

HARVEST HAM BALLS

1 egg, beaten
1/ 2 cup soft bread crumbs
1/ 2 cup milk
1 tsp. brown sugar
Dash ground cloves
1 lb. ground cooked ham (about 2 cups)
8 canned peach halves, drained
1 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine
Paprika
Green celery tops or parsley

Combine egg, crumbs, milk, sugar, cloves and ham. Shape into 8 balls. Place peach halves, hollow sides up, in greased baking dish. Nest a ham ball in each peach half. Brush top of ham mixture with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Garnish with celery.