Tag: stew

Pork & Chiles

We have an ongoing love affair with pork, and with chiles.  Hot chiles, sweet chiles.  With little left in the freezer, although it is a bit warm outside, today just seemed to be a perfect day to make an oven-braised pork stew.  This really is a mish-mash, and despite its color, it has dried red chiles in it, and hot fresh green serranos and jalapenos.  Braised in an oven-proof kettle at 275-300 F, this is a dish which needs a bit of attention, can be as dry or wet as you want, and makes a delicious meal for summer or winter, depending on your mood.

Pork & Chile Stew

Pork & Chiles Stew
2 lbs. pork loin, cubed
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
3 serranos and 3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped
5-8 dried red chiles, sweet variety, such as ancho
8-10 cloves of garlic, chopped and smashed
1 T. ground cumin
2 T. coriander seeds, ground
2 T. fresh oregano
1 c. chopped parsley (I would use tomatillos, but don’t have any right now, and don’t feel like going to the market)
2-4 c. dark beer
2-4 c. chicken broth

Preheat oven to 275 – 300 F. Use a lower temperature for a longer, slower cook. Allow yourself about 6-8 hours of cooking and prep time before serving.

In an oven-proof kettle with an oven-proof lid, heat some cooking oil, brown cubed meat. Add onions, stir until soft. Add all herbs and seasonings as you chop – just add them and continue to stir and add until all is cut up and sauteed together in the kettle.

Seed the jalapenos and serranos under running water, being sure to wear nitrile gloves. Chop fine, then thoroughly clean up cutting block, discard pepper seeds and bits. Then take off the gloves, discard them, and wash your hands. Add to the stew.

Pour in beer and some chicken broth, to cover the meat. Bring to simmer.

Place in 300 F oven on middle rack, cover with lid. Plan to let it bake / braise at least 4-5 hours, or longer if you use 275 F. Add extra liquid if stew appears dry – you need to check it!

After about 2-3 hours of cooking, take the dried sweet red chiles out of their package. (I like Mojave brand, or just the ones in bins at local markets.) Break them up, remove stems, and sautee in some oil over low heat. Make sure they become rather soft. Then pour a couple of cups of boiling water over them in the pan (watch out for splatters!) and let soak for about 20-30 minutes. When this is done, transfer chiles and some soaking liquid to a blender, and puree the mess until all the peppers are broken up. Add this liquid to the stew, stir it in.

Continue to cook the stew for a few more hours, checking liquid levels. About an hour before you think you want to eat the stew, you can add some drained, rinsed canned hominy, or, like I did, some baby potatoes.

Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream. Garnish with cilantro or something pretty, like more parsley or whatever you want.

P.S. The picture is not any indicator about the tastiness of this dish! I took it last night under fluorescent lighting and forgot to adjust it – and at 1600 iso. Not the best shot. However, the pan really is green – its a “lemon grass” Le Creuset Dutch oven – love it!

Beast Stew & Dumplings

Cold weather, wet weather, snowy weather all bring out the hibernation instincts.  Cup of cocoa, hot toddy, fireplace, a good book.  Comfort food, too, which for a lot of us is in the form of stews with dumplings, or hearty soups with crusty bread.  My little brother asked for a stew recipe . . .  he’s in Wisconsin, watching the Packer’s game on a dark and gloomy day.  Here, in California, we have had rain and it is chilly in the mid-50s.  So, here is what my brother will be cooking up – and what I decided to do after talking to him!

Sauteeing Onions and Herbs in Dutch Oven

Beast Stew with Dumplings

  • 1 1/2 – 2 pounds cubed meat (I use chuck roast, but regular beef stew meat, pork, or lamb work very well)
  • 1 pint black beer
  • 1 pint water
  • 4-6 onions
  • potatoes
  • carrots
  • garlic ground up with different herbs.  I used coriander, ancho powder, sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, marjoram, peppercorns
  • 2-3 T tomato paste

Preheat oven to 325 F if you want a long, slow cook.  Or, plan on cooking time of about 2-3 hours if done stove top.  You might also try this in a crock pot, but before you start, be sure to brown the onions and meat for best flavor.

Brown meat in heavy dutch oven with lid in olive oil.  Remove from pan.  Brown onions – a bit of caramelization is nice.  Grind up herbs and garlic, add to pan, sauté a bit.  Return meat to pan.  Add beer and water, cover, bring to simmer.  Add tomato paste, stir in to dissolve.  Continue to cook on stove or place in oven.  Check liquid status periodically to keep from scorching.  Be sure to put the lid on the pot!

On stove top, after about 2 hours – when meat is tender and begins to fall apart – add potatoes and carrots; continue to cook until vegetables reach desired stage of done-ness.  Allow about 20 minutes for dumplings before serving.

After about 4 hours in the oven, add quartered russet potatoes.  30 minutes after that, add coarsely cut carrots.  Continue to cook about another hour in the oven, then remove and place on stove top to finish with the dumplings.  Bring to simmer on stove.

Dumplings

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 T butter
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2/3 c. milk, cream, or kefir

Mix together flour, powder and salt. Cut butter into flour mixture.  Stir in liquid just enough to mix ingredients together.  Drop by tablespoon onto simmering stew. Cook 10 minutes with the pot lid off, then 10 minutes more with the lid on. Note:  I find that a thinner liquid stirs in better than the thickness of cream or kefir (or sour cream), so it is not a bad idea to thin any of them with a bit of water.