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
