Recipe Review from 9/18/2017

A passing in the family had us taking an unexpected trip to north central WI for a funeral at the end of the week so everything was thrown a bit out of kilter.  I froze the ingredients for a Quick Texan Chili for a later date.

So it was a crazy busy week and next weeks going to be more of the same.

The Meal Plan from the week of 9/18/2017
Sat (L) leftovers  (S) out
Sun (L) leftovers  (S) Pork Chili Verde
Mon (yoga) leftovers
Tues - leftovers
Wed - Quick Texan chili
Thurs (yoga) leftovers   Out of town
Fri - leftovers  Out of town



Pork Chili Verde  (Ckng Lght, Oct 2017)  gluten free
Folks, a rockin' fall meal doesn't get much easier or tastier than this.  Chop, plop, walk away, serve and eat. And eat.  And eat...  This made a lot.  I think I ended up with enough for five meals for two of us, and that was with only 1 lb, maybe 1.5 lb of meat in the dish.  I did use 1 lb of dried beans, which I think is a bit more than two cups, so quantities might have been about the same.

A note on the beans - because I have hard water, I did do a "quick soak" before hand.  I was going to  brine them the night before but I forgot.  I did the pre-cook to make sure that the beans would soften while in the slow cooker.  My chicken stock was also salt free - I make my own and don't any and salt.  Was pre-cooking necessary?  Maybe not, but I wasn't going to take any chances. 

I really liked the simplicity of this dish.  From the ease of assembly to the bare bones ingredients: beans, meat, background flavors - very tasty!   I did skip the green onions and radishes and didn't miss them.  I had some extra cilantro in the fridge, so I added that just before serving.   I

Recommended!

photo from CookingLight.com

4 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 cups dried Great Northern beans (unsoaked)
2 cups chopped white onion (about 8 oz.)
1 1/3 cups tomatillo salsa (such as Frontera)
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-in. cubes (about 2 1/2 lb. purchase weight)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes (optional)

Combine chicken stock, beans, white onion, salsa, 1/2 cup water, cumin, oregano, salt, garlic, and pork in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low 7 hours and 30 minutes to 8 hours. Sprinkle with green onions and radishes, if desired, before serving.   I skipped.