Wicked Domestic

It’s your lucky day, blog reader.  I actually have pictures to share today!  It’s a holiday miracle!   I just had my first lazy weekend in a while and I put it to good use with the triumphant return of Slow Cooker Sunday.  A few weeks ago I once again succumbed to the grocery store aisle cookbook magazine trap and impulsively purchased a booklet of crockpot recipes.  This was the first recipe I tried, and it was great!

This Tuscan pork stew was, I’d say, less a stew and more a thick sauce – if you add the pasta.  You could certainly just eat it as a stew, but I think with pasta is the way to go.  I must admit that while it was cooking away in the crockpot, I wasn’t impressed.  For some reason I thought it would be okay but not that good.  Boy, was I wrong!  It was super easy to put together and was delicious. 

Ingredients:

1 boneless pork loin roast (1 to 1.5 lbs), cut into small cubes

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cans (14.5 oz) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth

2 cups diced peppers

1/2 dry red wine

1/4 cup orange marmalade (sounds weird, but it’s really an interesting addition!)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp cold water

1 package fettucine or other pasta

First, brown the pork until no longer pink.  Drain the oil and place the pork into the crockpot.

Mince the garlic, dice the peppers, and in a large bowl combine the tomatoes, broth, peppers, wine, marmalade, garlic, oregano, pepper, and pepper flakes (everything except cornstarch and water).

Pour mixture over the pork, stir, and set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, mix the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and add to the stew.  Switch the temp to high and allow to thicken for about 30 minutes.

Cook the fettucine (or other pasta) until almost done.  Drain and add to the thickened stew to finish cooking through.  Stir frequently and cook for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Since I had had inexplicably low expectations while the stew was cooking, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was.  I think the cornstarch thickener was key.  I’m sure it would be good as a straight up stew, but when I make it again I’ll definitely add pasta again.  And probably more crushed red pepper… and probably a touch of hot sauce.  I do love the heat. 

Hope you’re digging out and finishing your shopping! 

- Elizabeth

I am SO bummed that my camera didn’t work for this recipe because it was delicious.  My regular camera is broken, so I’ve been relying on my phone… which appeared to take pictures as I cooked the other night, but for some godforeblogging reason, the pictures are nowhere to be found.  I’m having serious camera issues.  And it’s such a shame because this recipe is insanely good!   I decided I’d blog about it anyway, and since I’ll probably make it again very soon, I’ll post pics then.

I found the recipe in a cookbook that I haven’t used in a while – a compilation of “best recipes” from 2002.  This one is a Barbara Lynch dish, served (at least back then) at Number 9 Park.  It wasn’t difficult to make and it was soooo good.  I’ve eaten it for several meals this week and loved it every single time.  It’s hearty and spicy (but not too spicy!) and just delicious.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves – minced

1 large onion -coarsely chopped

1 lb hot Italian sausage – casings removed

1 cup dry red wine

1 28oz can peeled Italian tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped, liquid reserved

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb rigatoni

1 19oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Does that seem like a ton of ingredients???  It’s really not.  I found the recipe to be quite easy.  Here’s what you do:

Heat oil over medium heat, then add the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Add the onion and the sausage.  I used regular pork sausage – you can try the turkey or chicken sausage, but I find that it doesn’t break up the way that regular sausage does.  Cook onion and sausage, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon until it loses its pink color (about 7-8 minutes).  Add the wine, increase the heat to high, and cook until reduced by half (about 10 minutes).  Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid (I just took a pair of kitchen shears to the whole can – didn’t bother draining and chopping and reserving the liquid; it worked fine for me… do whatever works for you!), the red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni.  Drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Add the rigatoni to the sauce and gently add the beans, 1/2 cup Parmesan, chopped basil, and butter.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 3-5, until heated through.  If it’s a little dry, add some of the pasta water until appropriately moist.  Serve with extra Parmesan and fresh basil.

If you’re wary of the spice, cut down on the crushed red pepper.  But as is, the spice isn’t overwhelming and makes the dish so warm and inviting.  The leftovers were just as good as the original meal.  Perfect for a freezing cold winter’s night!   Stay tuned – I know I’ll make this again soon and will hopefully have resolved my camera problems by then, so be on the lookout for pics!

- Elizabeth

Lately I have felt like brussels sprouts are everywhere – recipes in magazines, restaurant menus, even Dinner Club.  Is it just me, or are they the trendy new vegetable?   Most often they seem to be prepared using bacon or duck fat.  Call me sheltered, but I had never even eaten one until a few months ago.  So when I saw some lovely looking organic brussels sprouts at Whole Foods last week, I decided to give it a go (minus the duck fat). 

Before cooking, I did something very uncharacteristic of me – I looked up directions.  Major coup.  I just wanted to make sure I was preparing them in a way that would fully cook them, since they’re thick little suckers.  First I rinsed them and removed loose leaves and the little stump of a stem.

Then I boiled them for about ten minutes and drained in a colander.

(I did have more pics of the process, but they pulled a disappearing act when it came to uploading.  Seriously.  Need.  A.  New.  Camera.)

Next, I sauteed with garlic, salt and pepper – very simple.  Once the sprouts were browning up, I sprinkled with seasoned bread crumbs.  This added a nice texture and flavor.

The sprouts had a very earthy taste (which, I suppose, vegetables should?), and the bites that had extra salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs on them were especially tasty.  I wouldn’t say brussels sprouts are my new favorite vegetable, but they’re definitely one that I’ll try again! 

- Elizabeth