Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Stew

So, we launched the new year with, among other things, a new recipe.  We made some beef stew recently, but I was still in a stew mood and wanted to try something different.  I happened to see a recipe on allrecipes.com that got me thinking about a pork and green chile stew, and I used that as my starting point.  The recipe I started with looked essentially sound, but I knew that certain touches - like browning the meat beforehand and adding some tomato paste - would make it more flavorful.  I also decided to toss in a Serrano chile for some extra heat.   The beans are completely my own touch; I know from previous recipes that cannelloni beans go well with both pork and chiles, so they seemed a good touch here.

The results were good:  a flavorful, satisfying stew with tender pork and a subtle sort of heat.  Definitely a good thing for a winter day.  

Some small notes.  As always, I used my mortar and pestle to grind up some cumin seeds, rather than using pre-ground cumin, because the pre-ground stuff loses a lot of the flavor.  I also cooked it in oil before adding the vegetables.   This touch tends to increase the impact of spices.

Also, I initially chopped the sweet potato into 1/2" chunks, and as a result, they all but entirely disintegrated by the time the stew was done cooking.  Next time I'll use 1-inch chunks of sweet potato. and that's what the recipe below calls for. 

Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Stew

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2 ½ lbs boneless pork loin, cut into ¾” cubes

1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 Serrano chile (seeds removed), diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cans(7 oz) diced green chiles

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1” pieces

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

2 cans (15 oz.)  cannelloni (white kidney) beans, drained

Shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Dry half of the pork cubes with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add to the Dutch oven once the oil is heated.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is browned on all sides.  Transfer the cooked pork to the slow cooker, then repeat with the remaining pork.  Do not wash the Dutch oven.  Reduce heat to medium.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and heat it until shimmering.  Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the onion and Serrano chili and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is clear and tender.  Add garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.  Add the canned green chiles and the diced tomatoes, stir and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened.   Add the chicken broth, stir and use the edge of a spoon to loosen any fond from the sides and bottom of the Dutch oven.  Transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to the slow cooker.   

Add the sweet potato and oregano to the pork mixture.  Stir, cover and cook on high 5-6 hours.  Stir in the cannellini beans.  Cover, cook for 10-15 minutes.  Serve topped with shredded cheese.

Slow-Cooked Pork Riblets with Apricots and Indian Spices

I'm not normally a huge fan of slow-cookers.  Often as not, things I've had that were made in one were over-cooked.  Chicken, particularly, tends to fare poorly in a slow-cooker, or so my experience has been.   Still, it never hurts to branch out, so I decided to try out something completely different.  

I've seen some recipes that involve various cuts of pork and beef ribs prepared in a slow cooker.   I haven't had ribs for a few months now (one can grill in the winter, but I generally prefer to not do so), so I figured I'd
try slow-cooker ribs.   I like fruit flavors with pork, and I like Indian spice mixes, so I decided I'd cook the ribs in an apricot sauce with Indian spices, since apricots are used in some Indian recipes.  

Having made that decision, I looked up some slow-cooker rib recipes in the various resources available to me, to get a sense what slow-cooker techniques worked well with ribs, how long they would take to cook and so forth.   I saw some recipes in which racks of ribs were divided into individual portions of 4-5 ribs each, but in many more the racks were separated into one-rib segments, so I kept that in mind as I went shopping.  I was considering some bone-in country ribs, but then I saw some great-looking, unusually meaty racks of back ribs in the butcher counter.  Some of those were a bit long for easy stirring in a slow-cooker, so I had the butcher saw through the rack lengthwise.  That way all I had to do was slice the individual rib segments apart. 

A lot of slow-cooked rib recipes didn't call for pre-cooking of any sort, but that didn't sound right to me.  Stewed meats of all sorts taste better if they are browned before you stew them, and since this carries over to all the best slow-cooker stew recipes I'd seen, I figured the riblets would benefit from doing the same.   Besides, browning the ribs would give me an opportunity to cook some of the curry flavor directly into the riblets, rather than having the curry just blend in with all the other sauce ingredients.

Once the ribs were browned, I fried up some onions and spices, which gave the sauce more of an Indian flavor than if I'd simply dumped some spices and chopped onions in with the other ingredients.  That done, I just had to mix all the ingredients into the slow cooker and let the riblets cook for a few hours.   That gave me plenty of time to work on other things, including the other parts of the meal.

These riblets turned out great!   The meat was moist and tender, and completely covered in a delicious, tangy sauce.  The curry and fruit flavors complemented each other nicely, neither dominating the other.  The savory ingredients balanced out the preserves, preventing the sauce from being cloyingly sweet, while the chilis, cardamom and other seasonings added some complexity to the flavor, and just a hint of heat.  Sure, the riblets were a bit messy to eat - tender though the meat was, these were still riblets you'd want to pick up and chew, not pick at with a knife and fork - but flavor this good is worth sticky fingers.  Just keep lots of napkins handy.

I still can't say I'm a big slow cooker fan, but that will change if I keep getting results like this.  These riblets are really, really good.

Slow-Cooked Pork Riblets with Apricots and Indian Spices

yield = 4 servings

1        rack (3 pounds) pork back ribs
3        tablespoons Madras curry powder
1/2     teaspoon kosher salt
2        tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 tablespoon
1        cup apricot preserves
1        tablespoon fresh, peeled and grated ginger
1        tablespoon cider vinegar
1        teaspoon coriander powder
1        large onion, chopped fine
1        serrano chili, seeded and minced
2        teaspoons minced garlic
1        teaspoon ground cumin
1        teaspoon powdered ginger
2        ounces dried apricots, chopped
2        black cardamom pods, crushed
1        cinnamon stick
1        bay leaf
1        teaspoon garam masala

Cut each half rack of ribs into single-rib portions (riblets).   Place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with curry powder and kosher salt and stir to coat the ribs evenly. 

Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.   When the oil is shimmering, add the riblets in batches.  Cook the riblets until they have browned on all sides, then transfer to the slow cooker. 

A new purchase, the Milmour Adjustable  Measuring Cup, is
great for measuring out sticky things that tend
to stick in a cup, such as honey, peanut butter or,
as in this case, apricot preserves.

While the riblets are browning, combine apricot preserves, grated ginger, cider vinegar and coriander powder in a small bowl.   Stir to mix, then set aside.

After the riblets are browned, add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet.  Add the onion and chili and stir-fry until the onions have started to brown (about 6 minutes).   Stir in the garlic, cumin and powdered ginger.  Cook until fragrant (30-60 seconds), then transfer onion mixture to slow cooker, atop the riblets. 

Add the chopped, dried apricots, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and bay leaf to the slow cooker, then spread the apricot preserves mixture atop the contents of the slow cooker.  Cover slow cooker and cook riblets, stirring occasionally, 4-5 hours on low heat setting.

Right before serving, stir in the garam masala.

Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry

Last Saturday I knew Jeffrey and I would be running errands and doing some out-of-town shopping, so right after breakfast I got the crockpot out and put together everything for my Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry.  It's pretty quick to assemble, although you do have to take the time to brown the spice-coated meat. 

This recipe calls for dried apricots, each one cut into three pieces.  The fastest and easiest way to do this is to simply snip them with kitchen shears.  It also calls for golden raisins.  Don't be tempted to substitute regular raisins- they become bitter during the long cooking time, and they just plain look unappetizing in the finished dish.

If you've never used coconut milk before, make sure that you shake the can really well before opening.  There are sometimes solids in the can, and it's easier to get everything out if it's been shaken up.  You may have to use the can opener on the bottom instead of the top of the can, like in the picture below. I don't know why this is - just one of the mysteries of the universe, I guess. 

 I like the NON-lowfat version of Taste of Thai brand coconut milk, but if I double this recipe, I do use one can of regular coconut milk and one can of reduced fat coconut milk.  Make sure you're not using sweetened coconut milk, it's not an acceptable substitute.

Here's the full recipe:

Crockpot Coconut Beef Curry

1/2 cup              flour

2 teaspoons       sweet curry

1/2 teaspoon     ginger

1/2 teaspoon     ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 pounds            extra-lean stew meat

1/4 cup              butter

3 ounces            dried apricots, cut into thirds (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup              golden raisins

1 14.5 ounce can petite-diced tomatoes

1 14 ounce can   coconut milk

6 servings          cooked Basmati rice

Combine flour, sweet curry, ginger, ground coriander and salt in a gallon-size resealable plastic food storage bag.  Add the stew meat and seal the bag, leaving a little bit of air inside.  Holding the bag at the seal (just in case!), shake the bag to coat the stew meat with the flour-spice mixture.

Melt butter in a big fry pan, then add the beef, being very careful not to hold the plastic bag so close that it melts in the pan (ask me how I know this).  If there is any extra flour mixture, leave in the bag for now.

Sauté the beef pieces, stirring to make sure all sides are cooked evenly.  Now you can pour any remaining flour mixture on top.  Spoon the beef mixture carefully into a large crockpot.  Stir in the dried apricot pieces, golden raisins and the cans of diced tomatoes and coconut milk.

Cook at least 6 hours on low heat.  I've cooked this up to 9 hours without a problem.  Just stir it all up before serving.

About 30 minutes before you want to serve dinner, make the Basmati rice according to package directions.  Serve over hot rice.  This is also great with Naan (or any crusty bread) to soak up the yummy gravy.

This recipe is easily doubled, and freezes well.