Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Apple Fennel Slaw

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich

Autumn is (almost) here! The occasional chill in the air, the shorter days - something about it all makes me crave pork and apples, a classic combination. Then last Saturday was a crazy day and I was on the move constantly. It was so nice to come home and find dinner nearly ready. My husband had starting this pork in the slow cooker that morning, and when I got home that night, it was ready to shred.

Most slow cooker versions of pulled pork involve dousing the meat in prepared BBQ sauce which can be a little bit cloyingly sweet for me. This recipe, from Fine Cooking magazine, was just about right, a great template that you could also tweak to suit your preferences. It uses jarred salsa and a few spices, with great results.

To go with the sandwiches, I whipped up a quick Apple-Fennel Slaw with apples from our tree, and loved the slight sweetness, and the fact that this recipe involves neither cabbage nor mayonnaise. It was a meal so good I just had to share.
　
Apple-Fennel Slaw

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

3 tart apples

2 small heads fennel, cut into matchsticks

1 small red onion, cut in half and very thinly sliced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Put the lemon juice in a large bowl. Cut one of the apples in half, core it, and julienne it. Put the cut apple in the bowl and toss it with the lemon juice to keep it from browning. Repeat with the other apples. Toss in all of the remaining ingredients. Let stand for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. Taste for seasoning and serve.


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced

3/4 cup jarred tomato salsa (medium heat)

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. cider vinegar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 Tbs. ground cumin

1 Tbs. chili powder

Kosher salt

One 4- to 4-1/2-lb. bone-in pork shoulder, trimmed

3 Tbs. tomato paste

Toasted hamburger buns, for serving


In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, salsa, 1/3 cup of the vinegar, the brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, and 1 tsp. salt. Add the pork shoulder and turn to coat. Cover the slow cooker and cook until the pork is fork-tender, 5 to 6 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the pork. Discard the bone and fat. Put 1 cup of the juices and onions in a large bowl. Whisk in the tomato paste, the remaining 2 Tbs. vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt. Add the pulled pork and stir to combine. If the pork seems dry, add more juices as needed. Mound the pork on the toasted hamburger buns.

Oven-Baked Ratatouille

I remember one particular meal when I was living in France. The elderly lady with whom we did our home stay prepared a simple meal of baked fish with a wonderfully flavorful sauce of some kind. I had never tasted it in America and begged her for the recipe. Like many Parisians, my host knew a shortcut or two, and after some coaxing, she revealed the - gasp - jar her sauce had come from. It was nothing more than store-bought ratatouille, which I now know to be a famous Provencal vegetable stew and a great way to use up summer garden produce.

The version I made at home this week in an effort to recreate that moment comes from the popular Chocolate and Zucchini blog, the author of which lives in Montmartre, one of my favorite parts of Paris. It was a great use not only for our homegrown herbs, tomatoes, zucchini and farmer's market eggplant, but a fantastic excuse to use my Le Creuset. We served it over couscous for a light, flavorful dinner.

Ratatouille Confite au Four
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 eggplant (if you want to make the traditional ratatouille from Nice, hold the eggplant)
- 1 zucchini
- 2 green peppers
- 8 small tomatoes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
-1 T. chopped basil
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Peel and slice the onion and garlic. Rinse the remaining vegetables, trim and slice them. Rinse the herbs. Combine everything in an oven-proof dish. Season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil (about two tablespoons). Toss a little more to ensure even coating.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. At this point the vegetables should be cooked but not colored, and there should be cooking juices at the bottom of the pan.
Remove the foil and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes, keeping an eye on the progress, until the cooking juices have evaporated and the vegetables have taken on a nice roasted aspect.
Remove the sprigs of herb, and serve immediately, or at room temperature, or cold. It gets even better the next day and the day after that.

Caribbean Spiced Slow Cooker Ribs

Source: nytimes.com via Marie-Helene on Pinterest

I have this problem with ribs. It seems like all I have to do is see a picture of them and all of a sudden: instant craving. And it isn't like ice cream or some other craving where I can go to the store and buy fall-off-the-bone tender ribs slathered in BBQ sauce.

I know there are plenty of grilling experts out there who loving apply homemade rubs, place their ribs in smokers, ovens, on grills, tenderly dab sauce on them... This could take hours. Problem #2 is that I don't have that kind of patience for meat, especially in the summertime when the cooler I can stay, the better.

Solution: My trusty slow cooker. On a hot summer day, this recipe is a god send. It involves applying a simple rub to your ribs, slow cooking them all day, adding some BBQ sauce at the end, and before you know it, you've got tender, gooey ribs - all without turning on your oven once. Thank you to my homegirl Betty Crocker, and my friend Donna for the recipe.

Caribbean Spiced Ribs

From Betty Crocker’s Cookbook

3 pound pork loin back ribs

2 Tbsp instant minced onion

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp garlic powder

1 medium onion, sliced

½ cup water

1 ½ cups barbecue sauce

In a small bowl mix instant minced onion, mustard, red pepper flakes, allspice, cinnamon and garlic powder. Rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into 4-inch pieces if they have bones. Layer ribs and sliced onion in slow cooker. Pour water over ribs. Cover and cook on Low heat for 8-9 hours. Remove ribs from cooker and drain and discard liquid from cooker. Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl and dip ribs into sauce. Place ribs in cooker and pour remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on Low for 1 hour. Revel in carnivorous delight. Serves 6.

Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms

With homegrown fennel and Swiss chard on hand, I found out this recipe, switched the spring spinach for summer chard, and it was a delicious one-pot meal.

Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
1 8-ounce package sliced fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 16-ounce package fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
1 c. Swiss chard, sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

Preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.

Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add chard; toss gently until chard wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

Portuguese Sopas

For Mother's Day, I made my mom one of her favorite dishes, a traditional Portuguese soup that we call sopas. This simply means "soup" in Portugese and isn't a very descriptive name, but as a child I had a different term for it. I called it "that soggy bread stuff". Needless to say, I was not a big fan back then.

Often made to serve a crowd, sopas consists of a slow-cooked beef and the broth it's cooked in, ladled over a slice of bread that's been topped with mint leaves. By the time it makes its way to your mouth, the bread has soaked up a lot of the broth and is usually kind of soggy, which didn't appeal much to my palate as a kid.

Now when I make my simplified version at home, each family member can add broth as desired and it always seems to go over well. The warm spices, crusty bread and fresh mint appeal to everyone with whom we have shared this dish. My version is Portuguese people-approved (by my mom and aunt) but less involved that the traditional way of preparing sopas. I don't use wine or marinate the meat, and I prefer a boneless roast to bone-on roast.

Portgugese Sopas

5 pounds beef chuck roast or beef rump roast
3-4 cups beef broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed
1 large Vidalia or yellow Spanish onion, thickly sliced
2 cups finely chopped peeled very ripe tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes
¼ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
2 two medium bay leaves
¼ teaspoon cumin
Coarse salt
1 cabbage, cored and sliced in half (optional)
Mint leaves
Thickly sliced, day old crusty artisan bread

1. Trim the cut of beef and sprinkle with coarse salt.

2. Combine broth, onion slices, tomatoes, ketchup, tomato paste and spices in a large pot.
Sprinkle the salt over.

3. Place roast in the pan, making sure liquid comes half-way up the side of the roast. If not, add additional broth.

4. Cover pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and turning the meat occasionally, simmer until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. If desired, add cabbage and cook an additional 1/2 hr.

5. To serve, remove the meat and shred it. Place a thick slice or two of bread in each soup plate topped with a mint leaf or two. Ladle a generous amount of broth over the bread and top it off with pieces of meat.

Ravioli with Pea Shoot Pesto

Photo courtesy of Sunset magazine

Confession #1: I have never made my own pesto before.

Confession #2: I was a little late in getting my peas started this spring. Since they're all in a container and probably will never have the space to grow into full-blown sugar snap-pea producing machines before the hot weather hits Sacramento... I figured why not use them up with this recipe for pea shoot pesto?

The recipe is a great one for spring, as it uses young pea shoots (which can be grown or found at farmer's markets) and mint (I actually used freshly picked parsley), which is more likely to be available at this time of year, when basil is probably just a tiny transplant in your herb garden.

As for the pesto, it was as easy as figuring out how to adhere the food processor attachment to my blender. It came out simply delicious, rich and indulgent. I spooned it over spinach cheese tortellini and swooned.

Confession #3: I have garlic breath now.

Ravioli with Snap Peas, Pea Shoots, and Minty Pea Shoot Pesto
From Sunset magazine

1 small garlic clove
4 ounces parmesan cheese, cut into chunks
1 1/2 qts. lightly packed tender pea shoots*, separated into 4- to 5-in. pieces, divided
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh cheese ravioli
2 cups sugar snap peas

1. Whirl garlic in a food processor to mince. Add cheese and whirl until grated. Add 2 cups pea shoots, the mint, and oil; pulse until coarsely puréed. Scrape into a small bowl and press plastic wrap against pesto.

2. Cook ravioli as package directs, adding snap peas during last 2 minutes. Drain; return to pot. Whisk pesto, then gently toss three-quarters of it with pasta. Add remaining pea shoots and toss gently. Serve immediately, with remaining pesto if you like (or save it for a sandwich).

*Find at farmers' markets or Asian markets.

The Best Vegetable Chili

Photo courtesy of Cooking Light

Is there a vegetarian dish more cliche than vegetarian chili? It seems like an easy enough task to make a good vegetarian chili - just throw together some beans, some spices, some vegetables. Or so it appeared... Yet for a good long while, my husband and I have cooked our way through recipe after recipe for meatless chili and failed to find a version that both of us could tolerate, much less enjoy. One chili nearly choked us with an ancho chile overdose; another included imitation "ground meat" and was truly awful: bland with a stomach-turning texture.

When I saw the high ratings and positive reviews for this recipe from Cooking Light, I saw a light at the end of the bad chili tunnel. We made this for company and ended up scraping the bowl clean - it was fantastic! The flavors melded so well together that we didn't even miss the meat. It comes together in a jiffy as well. We will surely be using this recipe again and again.

Chunky Vegetable Chili

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (16-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add sugar and remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Spicy Thai Chicken with Basil (Gai Kra Prow)

As much as I love Thai food, and as much as I love to cook, it sometimes strikes me as odd that my experiences eating this delicious cuisine have been largely limited to the restaurant setting. But it seems that every time I have tried to recreate my favorite Thai dishes at home, it always tastes like something is missing. Besides that, I once inadvertently added so much green curry paste to a dish that I had to choke down small bites of it while tears streamed down my face. I think I emptied about half a box of Kleenex, and needless to say, that experience cooled me off from Thai cooking for a while!

But sometimes I can't help but wish that I could make these things at home. My favorite Thai dish to order at my most frequent haunt is Gai Kra Prow (or Gai Kra Pow, the English spelling varies): A chicken stir-fry with Thai basil and vegetables. The specific version I adore involves slices of chicken breast, bell peppers, onions, and straw mushrooms (which I knew I would have to leave out if I ever had the guts to make it at home because of Paul's allergy).

None of the recipes I found online for this dish exactly resembled the version I'm obsessed with. Many called for ground meat or left out the whole vegetable thing. So I put my thinking cap on and pieced together several different recipes, coming up with the first Thai dish I have made that came out close to perfect. Of course I have to share. I took a shortcut by using Vietnamese Chili Garlic sauce in lieu of fresh Thai chilis, which I didn't find in the stores at this time. I also used some sweet soy sauce I picked up in an Asian grocery store.

What do all of these ingredients together equate? A fantastic balance of sweet, savory, salty, and spicy flavors.

1 lb. chicken breast, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 T. chili garlic sauce
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 both red and green bell pepper, cut into cubes
1/2 a yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 T. sweet soy sauce
1 T. oyster sauce
1 T. fish sauce
1 tsp. sugar
2 T. water

2 handfuls Thai basil

Whisk together sauce ingredients. Heat 2 T. vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat. Add in garlic, chili garlic sauce, and chicken. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add in the bell pepper and onion; cook another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add sauce and stir fry another minute. Throw in the basil leaves and stir fry until they are wilted. Serve over jasmine rice.

How to Cook a Pheasant

When my father and brother took up hunting several years ago, they automatically turned to me to find ways to prepare the pheasants they brought home. I tried several different ways of preparing the bird, but our family favorite has to be this rendition, based on a classic Italian recipe. I believe that this method could be used with other game birds, or even rabbit.

Be sure to let freshly hunted meat rest for at least 24 hours before cooking with it. Shortly after death, rigormortis causes the muscles to freeze up, making for a tough cut of meat. Letting the meat relax for a day or two produces a much more tender meal.

I sometimes throw in a little fresh thyme or other herbs. Pancetta, an Italian cured meat, keeps the meat moist and flavorful. Serve with pasta - I think orzo would be a particularly nice side with this dish.

Pheasant Farmer's Style (Faggiano Alla Contadina)

2 small pheasants

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 sage leaves

2 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 rosemary branches

1 (16-ounce) can peeled tomatoes and their juices, crushed by hand

½ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

8 slices pancetta

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Quarter the birds and season with salt and pepper. In a 14 to 16-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Sear the poultry on all sides, then remove to a plate and reserve.

Add the onion, sage, bay leaves, garlic, and rosemary and cook over high heat 5 minutes. Add the stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and return the poultry to the pan, each piece wrapped in pancetta (secure with a toothpick if necessary). Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until juices run clear from a piece of the bird.

Remove bird pieces to a serving platter, check sauce for seasoning, stir in parsley and spoon over pieces.

Mushroom Barley Soup

Photo courtesy of Real Simple

Looking for a way to warm yourself as the weather becomes increasingly chilly? Here’s a hearty soup that is simple and inexpensive to prepare (no meat!) It freezes pretty well too.

One nice thing about making your own soup is that you can control how much salt you add. Regular canned soups can be astronomically high in sodium. Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, sodium causes bloating and nobody wants that. This particular soup also incorporates whole grains (barley, often available in bulk in grocery stores). I love to make a batch of homemade soup at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunch each day; or eat it for a couple days and freeze the rest for later, thus preventing “leftover burn out”.

Mushroom Barley Soup

1 cup barley
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
kosher salt and black pepper
1 large carrot, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
20 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
5 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (about 8 sprigs)
sliced sourdough or other country bread, toasted (optional)

Directions

In a medium-size pan, bring the barley and 4 cups of water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook until the onions have softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the carrot and celery and cook, covered, for 6 minutes more.

Add the mushrooms, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, covered, until they release their juices, about 4 minutes.

Add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the cooked barley; remove and discard the bay leaves. If desired, season with additional salt and pepper and serve with the sourdough toast.

Persian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

For many years, my elderly Irish co-worker was married to a Persian man. During this period of time, she learned to cook many of the "comfort food" dishes that her husband loved, and is very knowledgeable concerning the cuisine of this ancient country. Now known as Iran, Persia has a rich history of tradition and the food is a part of that.

This co-worker lent me an old, weathered cookbook called "In A Persian Kitchen" that was first published in 1960 by a woman who came from Persia and made America her home. The author shares many family recipes that her mother passed on to her, that she has successfully made for American friends who enthusiastically embraced the exotic, delicious fare.

I have long been wanting to try one of Ms. Mazdah's recipe, and since my husband and I have a tradition of eating cabbage on St. Patrick's Day, I decided to try the following recipe (which has been adapted slightly to our tastes and the modern kitchen). It's a fascinating dish - the sauce is just sugar and vinegar (at first I wondered, "Where's the tomato sauce?"), but it adds a delightful sweet and tangy touch to the cabbage. The meat inside stays moist and flavorful. If you have never tried cinnamon and meat (common in Middle Eastern cooking), it's a wonderful combination! If you want to try something a little exotic that doesn't require too much effort or any strange ingredients, here's your chance!

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

1 large head of cabbage
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. medium onion, finely shopped
1/4 c. Minute Brown rice
1/2 c. parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. water
1/3 c. white sugar
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

Core cabbage, set it in a pot of boiling salted water, cover, and cook until almost tender (be careful not to overcook it). Drain well and remove leaves, cut out midribs. Put ground beef in a bowl. Add onions through seasonings and mix well. Take each leaf in your hand and put a tablespoon of meat mixture on it. Shape into little packages. Line the bottom of a saucepan with cabbage leaves that couldn't be used. Pack in stuffed leaves, placing any remaining leaves between layers. Pour water on the cabbage, cover pan with lid and simmer on low heat for 35 minutes. Mix sugar and vinegar and pour over the cabbage and let cook for another 20 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.

The Battle of the Green Chile Pork Recipes

My husband adores Mexican food. I’m not as enthusiastic in general, but one dish we both enjoy is Green Chile Pork. I found a pretty tasty recipe for this dish in my "Allrecipes" cookbook, and it was one of his favorite dinners that I’ve made so far. I loved the fact that it required so few ingredients and was so easy to prepare.

About 2 months later, while on vacation recently, I found another recipe for the same dish in "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American". Curious, I decided to try the new recipe and see which one was better. I made the dish this week, and felt like the second recipe was great, too, and was having a tough time deciding on the winner. Then, after comparing the two recipes, I realized that they were essentially..... exactly the same recipe! No wonder I couldn’t decide which had been better. I guess we’ll call it a tie.

Green Chile Pork

3 pounds boneless pork loin, cubed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
7 green chile peppers, chopped (or 2 small cans of diced green chiles)
1 T. cumin
4 cloves crushed garlic
4 cups chicken broth or water
1 (10 ounce) jar prepared green chile salsa
salt/pepper to taste

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the pork in oil, doing so in 2 to 3 batches. Place the meat in 3 to 4-quart covered saucepan and add celery, tomatoes, chilies, and garlic. Add about 1 cup chicken broth or water to skillet pork was cooked in, stirring over high heat to scrape up browned bits on bottom and bring to boil. Add to pot with enough additional water or broth to barely cover the ingredients. Cover and simmer until stew is thick and meat very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste before serving. If stew is not hot enough, add a bit of green salsa.
Serve with wheat tortillas and a green salad.