The main recipe here is originally from the Portland restaurant Meat Cheese Bread. It was in our local paper, in the weekly food section. I saw it, made Homer Simpson type sounds as I thought about how good it must be, and promptly decided to give it a try.

That said, I tweaked it a bit. Not so much for taste or anything, more due to what ingredients I had and the level of time on a Wednesday that I had to devote to this. Mainly, I crock-potted it while working, so that when I came home, the house would smell so good that I would almost fall over after stepping through the doorway.

One Saturday or Sunday, I will try this in the oven but it did work pretty well for me to turn it on low in the AM before leaving for work (7:00 AM) and . . . → Read More: Experiments in Pulled Pork — Sandwiches (and then Enchiladas)]]>

The main recipe here is originally from the Portland restaurant Meat Cheese Bread. It was in our local paper, in the weekly food section. I saw it, made Homer Simpson type sounds as I thought about how good it must be, and promptly decided to give it a try.

That said, I tweaked it a bit. Not so much for taste or anything, more due to what ingredients I had and the level of time on a Wednesday that I had to devote to this. Mainly, I crock-potted it while working, so that when I came home, the house would smell so good that I would almost fall over after stepping through the doorway.

One Saturday or Sunday, I will try this in the oven but it did work pretty well for me to turn it on low in the AM before leaving for work (7:00 AM) and return around 5:00 PM to a crock pot full of fragrant, porky goodness.

That said, this isn’t a complete ‘pop it in the crock pot and forget it’ kind of thing. Well, okay, actually it is, but you need to do stuff before you get everything in the crock pot. Stuff like: sear the pork and briefly saute the onions and peppers. Then you pop it all in the crock pot and set it to low.

I’ve got both conventional oven and crock pot directions below. Pick your heat source and give it a try!

Cuban Pulled Pork in Orange Mojo
Adapted from a Recipe from Meat Cheese Bread, via Oregonian Food Day, September 22, 2009
2 pounds pork shoulder
Vegetable oil
1 orange (original recipe said to use one and a quarter oranges)
1 small onion (sweet, yellow or white), quartered
1 red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 medium tomato
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
6 garlic cloves
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 cup white wine
8 6-inch hoagie rolls (or ciabatta rolls, which is what I used)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, unless you are doing this in a crock pot.

Remove excess fat from the pork shoulder and cut crosswise into 2-inch thick pieces. When I was doing this, I read it wrong and cut it into 2-inch cubes. So, I’m here to tell you that if you accidentally do that, it will still work. Anyway, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and coat bottom of pan lightly with vegetable oil. Sear the pork until browned on all sides.

While searing the pork, use a vegetable peeler to remove zest from the oranges. Reserve the zest and cut pith from the orange, exposing the orange pulp. I quartered my orange, although the original recipe said to leave it whole.

Oven: After pork has seared, add the orange quarters and orange zest, onion, red pepper, brown sugar, salt and pepper, orange juice, chicken broth, tomato, lime juice, garlic, cumin, coriander and white wine to the roasting pan. Stir well and cook uncovered at 375 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Check the braise occasionally to make sure it does not get too dark. If meat starts to darken, turn pieces over and push below liquid level. Remove from oven when pork pierces easily with a fork.

Crockpot: After pork has seared, remove it with tongs and add to the crock pot. Turn it on low. Return to the hot pan and add the onions, garlic and bell pepper. Saute for 3-5 minutes over medium until they start to get a little color. Add to the crock pot. You will notice all manner of tasty things on the bottom of the pan. Deglaze!

Add the wine and orange juice to the pan and use a wooden spoon to get up any brown bits.

Add all the pan contents to your crock pot. Next, add the orange zest, brown sugar, salt and pepper, chicken broth, tomato, lime juice, garlic, cumin, and coriander to the crock pot.

Put a lid on it and leave it alone for about 8-9 hours.

Oven & Crockpot, after cooking time:

Using tongs, carefully remove pork from the braise liquid and put on a carving board, allowing meat to rest for 10 minutes. Using two forks, pull apart the meat, removing any excess fat you come across. Place in a large bowl.

Purée the braising liquid (original recipe said “including the solids”, I opted to not use the whole orange pieces. After tasting the liquid, it seemed orangey enough to me), in a blender or food processor and adjust the flavor to taste.

When blending hot liquids, leave the lid insert off and cover the rimmed lid with a towel!

Add enough puréed braising liquid to moisten the meat well.

To assemble sandwiches, cut hoagie roll in half horizontally. Using tongs or a slotted spoon to allow some of the juice to drain, top bottom piece with roughly 1 cup of the pulled pork mixture. Repeat with remaining rolls. I added spinach leaves, tomato and sliced, smoked fontina cheese.

Leftovers

If you are not making 8 sandwiches, you will have leftovers. Here’s what I did — pork enchiladas!

I added some onion, yellow bell pepper, a diced jalapeno and some diced yam and sweet potatoes (all sauteed up for a few minutes in a pan with some olive oil), to the pulled pork and about 1 – 2 tsp of chili powder to the Mojo sauce.

I used the pork as a filling (added a little Queso fresco in there as well, along with about a teaspoon of sauce). The I wrapped the filling up in corn tortillas and covered with the sauce.

A little more cheese (okay, a medium-sized amount) on top and about 40 minutes in the oven on 375 degrees F.

Delicious with some diced avocado and some sour cream!

I used the recipe “Super Quick Minestrone” by Michael Chiarello as the base recipe for this. Of course, since it was cooked it the crockpot, it wasn’t super quick. It was moderately lengthy. But so, so, good. Especially as we were in the 30′s last night and I had to put flannel sheets back on the bed. Hello? April? Are you there? Jeez.

Anyway, I added mushrooms and oregano and started with dried beans here. The house smelled wonderful while this was cooking. But really, when you start with pancetta, garlic and olive oil would you expect any less?

Crockpot Minestrone 1 cup dry cannellini beans Extra-virgin olive oil 6 cups chicken stock 1/4 pound pancetta, diced 6 medium garlic cloves,minced 1 white onion, diced 1 medium celery stalk, diced 2 medium carrots, diced 1 sprig rosemary 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 dried bay leaf 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes 2 medium zucchini, diced 12 cremini mushrooms, quartered 2 small yellow or red potatoes, . . . → Read More: Crockpot Minestrone: Because it’s not Spring Yet…]]>

I used the recipe “Super Quick Minestrone” by Michael Chiarello as the base recipe for this. Of course, since it was cooked it the crockpot, it wasn’t super quick. It was moderately lengthy. But so, so, good. Especially as we were in the 30′s last night and I had to put flannel sheets back on the bed. Hello? April? Are you there? Jeez.

Anyway, I added mushrooms and oregano and started with dried beans here. The house smelled wonderful while this was cooking. But really, when you start with pancetta, garlic and olive oil would you expect any less?

Crockpot Minestrone
1 cup dry cannellini beans
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
6 medium garlic cloves,minced
1 white onion, diced
1 medium celery stalk, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 sprig rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 dried bay leaf
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, diced
12 cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 small yellow or red potatoes, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup tubetti pasta, or other small pasta shape (I used wheat elbow macaroni)
Optional: 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Quick soak your beans — rinse and pick through. Add to a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Let sit and hour. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, heat 1/4 cup olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the pancetta and cook until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally.

Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and add the pancetta and browned garlic to your crock pot, leaving some of the oil in the pan.

Add the zucchini and bay leaf to the crockpot.

Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, celery, carrot and mushrooms. Let saute about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary spring and move around a bit with a spatula.

Okay, add it all into the crockpot, all the oil too. Next, add your drained beans, dried oregano and diced potatoes to the crockpot.

Now, if you are like me, your stovetop pan will be kinda brown on the interior — all the good stuff from everything you sauteed there. Wait! You can get that off and add it too. Put some heat under your pan and add about 1 cup of your chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Pour it all into the crock pot, along with the rest of the stock and the canned tomatoes.

Cover the slow cooker and give it about 7.5 hours on low.

Add your pasta about 1/2 an hour before you want to eat it.

After 8 hours total, taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper. Serve warm with Parmesan and olive oil.

Sometimes I crock pot overnight, which is convenient, but slightly weird in that I tend to dream about food then. It is, however, much better than setting up your George Forman grill the night before to cook bacon, bed-side in the AM. Still my favorite Office episode of all time. The country crock? Nice Dwight? The van with the spray bottles? Ha!

Anyway. Soup here. Lots of beans. Add some bacon. Wine. Broth. Veggies. Cook it while you sleep and dream about beans. Or, cook it while at work and have a nice dinner waiting for you when you get home! Awesome!

My bean mix was 16 17 kinds of beans and some barley (“17 Bean and Barley Mix”, to be exact). I got it at Trader Joe’s. Use any bean/barley combination you’d like. You can even use all white beans and no barley. Or just 16 beans. You . . . → Read More: Crockpot Bean & Bacon Soup]]>

Sometimes I crock pot overnight, which is convenient, but slightly weird in that I tend to dream about food then. It is, however, much better than setting up your George Forman grill the night before to cook bacon, bed-side in the AM. Still my favorite Office episode of all time. The country crock? Nice Dwight? The van with the spray bottles? Ha!

Anyway. Soup here. Lots of beans. Add some bacon. Wine. Broth. Veggies. Cook it while you sleep and dream about beans. Or, cook it while at work and have a nice dinner waiting for you when you get home! Awesome!

My bean mix was 16 17 kinds of beans and some barley (“17 Bean and Barley Mix”, to be exact). I got it at Trader Joe’s. Use any bean/barley combination you’d like. You can even use all white beans and no barley. Or just 16 beans. You get the idea. Just don’t use an actual soup mix that already has seasonings and stuff in it.

Crock pot Bean & Bacon Soup
1 lb dried beans
7 cups chicken, turkey, hen or vegetable stock
5 slices of bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/4 cup white wine
leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp dried, rubbed sage
Kosher salt & Black pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight (or 8-10 hours) in water.

Cook bacon in a pan until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the bottom of your crock pot.

Return the pan to the heat (with all the bacon grease still in it) and add the veggies. Saute until soft and they have a little color — 5-6 minutes. Add the wine and scrap off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

Pour all the pan veggies, wine and bacon fat into the crock pot.

Add the soaked, rinsed and drained beans, the rosemary, the sage and the stock.

It should be pretty full, but no worries, it’ll fit (TWSS !!). Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Mine went from 8pm to 6:15 am. Was perfect. Nom-nom.

This was super good and appropriately Fall-ish. Originally, the recipe called for parsnips and turnips, but I changed the turnips to sweet potatoes. I also added some garlic cloves. I would think you could use any root vegetables you wanted to — potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, etc…

And, I finally mixed up some of this Essence seasoning mix stuff. I used teaspoons instead of tablespoons, though. So, yeah, this is an Emeril recipe. At first, jwa was skeptical, as he is of all things that come out of a crockpot. But, in the end, he was won over. Sweet, succulent pork will do that. Epic win.

My pork loin was on the smaller side (about 2 pounds). Didn’t seem to make any difference. Enough for dinner and lunches later in the week.

Applesauce and Sage Glazed Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips 1 tbsp olive oil 2 1/2 to 3 pound boneless pork . . . → Read More: Applesauce and Sage Glazed Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips]]>

This was super good and appropriately Fall-ish. Originally, the recipe called for parsnips and turnips, but I changed the turnips to sweet potatoes. I also added some garlic cloves. I would think you could use any root vegetables you wanted to — potatoes, carrots, rutabagas, etc…

And, I finally mixed up some of this Essence seasoning mix stuff. I used teaspoons instead of tablespoons, though. So, yeah, this is an Emeril recipe. At first, jwa was skeptical, as he is of all things that come out of a crockpot. But, in the end, he was won over. Sweet, succulent pork will do that. Epic win.

My pork loin was on the smaller side (about 2 pounds). Didn’t seem to make any difference. Enough for dinner and lunches later in the week.

Applesauce and Sage Glazed Pork Loin with Sweet Potatoes & Parsnips
1 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 to 3 pound boneless pork loin
1 medium white onion, chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper
1 tsp Essence, recipe follows
1 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 medium parsnips, diced
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
6-8 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1 tsp dried rubbed sage)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp minced fresh ginger

Set a big skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onions. Season the pork with some salt, the Essence and some black pepper. Sear the pork in the hot pan for 2 minutes on each of the four sides, and on the two ends as well.

Place the pork and onions in a slow cooker and add the chicken stock to the pot.

Lay the sweet potatoes, garlic cloves and parsnips around the pork, salt them with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and place the lid over the crock pot. Turn the heat up to high and cook the roast for 3 hours.

While the roast is cooking, combine the applesauce, sugar, vinegar, sage, rosemary and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir. Cook until the applesauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.

After the roast has cooked for 3 hours, pour the glaze over the top and replace the lid. Continue to cook for 1 hour longer, until very tender.

Serve with the pan juices. Hint: You will want bread to sop up all the pork juices.

Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning
For a small amount of seasoning –
2 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Night Before Election Self-Portrait

Yes, yes. It’s the truly awesome Emo for Obama t-shirt… I got it at Zazzle a while ago, but I can’t seem to find it there anymore. I wanted to get one in a different color too. Sad.

I had so much fun with the other day’s WCC meal, that I made another crockpot dish a couple of nights later. Really, any excuse to use my smoked paprika.

Chicken Paprikash w/ Sour Cream Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com 2 medium onions, thinly sliced 1 tsp kosher salt 1 tbsp sweet paprika 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika 2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 2.75 – 3 lb pounds chicken pieces — legs, thighs, breasts (all bone in, skin on and ready for business) 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp + 2 tbsp olive oil 1 cup cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth 1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered 1/3 cup sour cream (use full fat, low fat could curdle) Fresh dill, chopped, for garnish

Add the 1 teaspoon oil to a heavy skillet and add the onions and paprikas and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook until onions soften and paprika smells . . . → Read More: A Veritable Crockpot Extravaganza! Chicken Paprikash!]]>

I had so much fun with the other day’s WCC meal, that I made another crockpot dish a couple of nights later. Really, any excuse to use my smoked paprika.

Chicken Paprikash w/ Sour Cream
Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious.com
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2.75 – 3 lb pounds chicken pieces — legs, thighs, breasts (all bone in, skin on and ready for business)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
1/3 cup sour cream (use full fat, low fat could curdle)
Fresh dill, chopped, for garnish

Add the 1 teaspoon oil to a heavy skillet and add the onions and paprikas and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook until onions soften and paprika smells really good — about 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of insert.

Rub garlic halves over chicken then throw the garlic in the crock pot. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. In the same pan used for the onions, heat the remaining olive oil until hot but not smoking (over moderately high heat).

Add chicken pieces and brown, turning occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker (do not clean pan), layering chicken on top of onion mixture.

In same saucepan over high heat, bring stock and artichoke hearts to simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan.

Pour over chicken in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low until chicken is tender but not falling off bone, 5 to 6 hours. Mine was good in about 5 hours. Remove the chicken to a platter and cover with foil. If there looks like there is a lot of chicken fat on the surface, try to skim some out.

Turn the crockpot off. If you are kind of nervous, stir a little sauce into the sour cream to bring it up in temperature a bit. I am not ashamed to admit that I did this. Then, stir the warmed up sour cream into sauce. Combine well. Pour over the chicken. Garnish with dill and serve.

You can also put the chicken on a bed of spinach noodles and serve everything individually in bowls. Leftovers make a great lunch, as this makes at least 4 – 6 servings.