Slow-cookin’ Sundays: The Best Pork Chili Verde

I’ll admit, it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to come up with unique recipes to share on here for slow-cooking Sundays. But I enjoy a challenge! And I LOVE my slow cooker, so I’m going to continue to press on 🙂

I’m glad though that the weather is finally cooling down so I don’t sound nutty suggesting you all experiment with chilis and stews while it’s 70+ degrees outside.

Mexican food is a favorite for many, but I think it’s time we all think beyond tacos & quesadillas. Today’s dish does just that. It also helps to explore chilis beyond the standard red with tomatoes and kidney beans.

The base of the chili verde is a green tomatillo & pepper sauce, hence the name. It’s hearty yet light and packed with plenty of flavor, perfect for a chilly day in! 

What You Need:

3-4 lbs pernil(slow cooked pork shoulder or butt – use the recipe here)

10-12 tomatillos

2 poblano peppers

2 jalapeno peppers

1 cup cilantro

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp salt

Masa roux:

1/4 masa(or corn) flour

1 tbsp canola oil

How To:

Cook your pernil according to the above recipe, shred the pork and set aside.  Take the tomatillos and roast in the oven on 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until soft. Roast the poblano and jalapeno peppers over the gas flame or in the broiler. Toss the peppers in a paper bag for 5 minutes, allowing them to steam. Remove and peel off the skin and give a rough chop.

In a food processor, add the tomatillos, chopped peppers and cilantro and pulse until smooth. Add the diced onion, shredded pork, tomatillo/pepper sauce and chicken stock in the slow cooker. Toss in the cumin, oregano, salt and bay leaves. Cover and set on high for an hour and a half.

Once the slow-cooker reaches the hour and a half mark, create the masa roux which will be used to thicken the chili. Add the oil and masa flour to a small skillet. Heat until a paste is formed. Add the masa roux to the slow cooker. Stir and cover. Set on low for 3 hours.

I’d suggest serving this chili with some shredded cheddar cheese and a yummy piece of cornbread. I made festive corn shaped jalapeno cheddar cornbread to serve with mine.

My family loved this dish! The spice is subtle(I removed all the seeds) but packed with the bold flavor from the peppers and tomatillos. The pork is super tender and the cornbread when it gets a chance to soak up the chili sauce? Just perfect!

@LifeandDimSum

Slow-cookin’ Sunday: Braised Lamb Shank

With the exception of the occasional gyro,  I just started eating lamb a couple years ago. The taste and even the smell is so distinct that lamb is one of those meats you either love or turn your nose up at. I obviously love.

I’ve watched my mom make lamb chops on several occasions but I decided to go for the shank; the tibia portion of the lamb. This cut of meat is particularly tough so slow cooking is the perfect answer to achiever tender, fall off the bone results.

What You Need:

2 lbs lamb shank

salt

pepper

1 yellow onion

1 tbsp garlic

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup beef broth

1 tbsp mustard

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

1/2 tbsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

olive oil

 

How To:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet(I used a stovetop wok but that’s because that’s the only thing I have that’s large enough). Salt and pepper the shanks, add to skillet and brown on all sides.

Once good and browned, add to the slow cooker. Toss the onions and garlic into the skillet. Once the onions begin to become translucent, pour in the wine and broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all that leftover lamb goodness(this whole process is called deglazing the pan). Stir in the mustard, brown sugar, tomato paste, rosemary and thyme. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and add to the slowcooker.

Cover and set on high for 4 hours.

Once you take the shanks out of the slow cooker, the meat should literally fall off the bone. The red wine adds a great, robust flavor to the earthy lamb.

I served this up with a sweet potato gnocchi sauteed in a brown butter sage sauce(recipe up later this week!).

 

 

@LifeandDimSum

Slow-cookin’ Sunday: Spinach Enchilada Casserole

My younger brother is probably one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met; no meat, no potatoes(unless frenchly fried), no eggs. No, no & no.

So when we told me he was coming up to visit, I figured I should try a slow cooker meal that he could actually enjoy. That’s when the idea of a spinach enchilada casserole hit me. I’ve never made enchiladas so I figured, what the heck? Why not experiment on my brother?? 🙂

What You Need:

Filling:

3 lb fresh spinach

1 large yellow onion

2 tbsp crushed garlic

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp cumin

1 tspn nutmeg

salt

black pepper

1 cup cream

16 corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar & Monterrey jack cheese

1 cup tomatillo salsa

vegetable oil

Optional poblano pepper sauce:

2 poblano peppers

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 tbpn crushed garlic

1 cup

salt

1 tbsp goat cheese

1/2 cup chicken broth

Equipment needed: Large stock pot, small pot, immersion blender or food processor, and of course a slow cooker

 

How To:

Thoroughly rinse your spinach and set aside. Heat a tbsp of vegetable oil in a large stockpot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, oregano and cumin. Once the onion starts to become translucent, add in the spinach and stir. Once the spinach has wilted down, as we know it always does, pour in the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Let the spinach mixture continue to cook for 5-7 minutes and then set aside.

Spread a tbsp or so of the tomatillo salsa on the bottom of the slow cooker and top with a single layer of corn tortillas; I used 4 per layer and I’m using a 5 qt slow cooker. Top with a layer of the creamed spinach mixture(be careful not to add too much of the actual liquid from the spinach), then a layer of the cheddar & Monterrey jack cheeses, followed by another tablespoon of salsa. Add another layer of tortillas and repeat. Keep layering until there’s no more spinach; there will probably be four layers. Make sure that the top of the casserole is a layer of cheese. Cover and set on low for 3-3 1/2 hours.

While the casserole gets all wonderful and bubbly, you can make the optional poblano pepper sauce. Over the flame of a gas stove, “roast” the peppers until they’re browned and blistery. Pop them in a brown paper bag or just a covered bowl, and let them cool. Once cooled, peel the skin off, cut off the tops and remove the seeds. Give the peppers a rough chop and set aside while you heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil in a small pot. Add the garlic and chopped onion to the pot. Once the onion has become translucent, add in the peppers. Be careful while cooking the peppers, they definitely sent me into a sneezing fit and caused some tightening in my chest, I’m a weeny when it comes to spicy food though lol.

Add in a tbsp of goat cheese. Why goat cheese, you may ask? 1. I love the flavor it adds here. 2. It cools the peppers down just a tad; which is great if you don’t love a ton of heat. Allow the cheese to melt and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a slight boil and remove from the heat. Either use an immersion blender or pour in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Set the pepper sauce aside until time to serve.

Once your 3-3 1/2 hours are up, let the casserole rest for 20-30 minutes in order to keep the enchilada from spreading once it reaches the plate.

I’d recommend serving the poblano sauce on the side. It’s packed with a nice amount of heat and I wouldn’t want you to drench the casserole and then figure out it’s far too hot. 

Just look at all the pretty layers!

This dish exemplifies what I love about slow cooked meals; while the ingredients cook together for hours all of the flavors get a chance to come together and produce results that will leave you feeling like you’re eating at a restaurant!

The robust flavor from the tomatillo salsa with the creaminess of the spinach and the heat from the poblano pepper sauce equal absolute nommy-ness! I also like that this recipe takes about half the time of many of the other slow cooker recipes I’ve done on the blog– it’s almost like a slow-cooker quick meal!

Next time you’re in the mood for a little taste of Mexico, give this recipe a try!

 

@LifeandDimSum

Slow-cookin’ Sundays: Caribbean Inspired Oxtails

What a coincidence that the weekend I schedule my oxtail recipe just so happens to be the same weekend as the big West Indian parade in Brooklyn. I think that was a sign that this dish was destined for greatness.

I grew up not eating beef, so I’ve actually never eaten oxtails before. I’ve always heard how good they are, and I’m constantly looking for a culinary challenge, so I had to give them a try!

What You Need:

3 lbs oxtails

1 large onion

5 scallions, sliced

1 cup diced carrots

1 large onion

1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms, quartered

1 jalapeno(or scotch bonnet, if you’re feeling feisty)

1 tbsp fresh time

1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary

2 tspn diced ginger

2 cups beef stock

1/2 cup red wine

3 tbsp tomato paste

salt

celery salt

black pepper

1 tbsp all spice

 How To:

Dice up the veggies — carrots, onion, scallion, mushrooms and jalapeno.

Sprinkle the oxtails with salt and pepper. Brown both sides(3-4 minutes each) in a skillet and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, scallion, jalapeno, ginger, thyme & rosemary to the skillet. Stir and allow the veggies to cook until the onion begins to get translucent. Add in the mushrooms, beef stock, red wine and all spice.  Stir with a wooden spoon, being sure to scrape up all that leftover goodness from the oxtails. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Pour on top of the oxtails and cover.Set the slow cooker on low for 6 hours and go about your day(I swear this is my favorite part).

As I got near the 6 hour mark, I noticed that the “sauce” was a little thin and more like a broth. Although I’ve never had oxtails I had it in my mind that there should be a thick, stew-like sauce. So as a quick fix, I stirred together 1/4 cup of water and 1 tspn of cornstarch and added it to the slow cooker. I recommend doing this when you only have 30 minutes of cooking time left. Instantly my sauce thickened right up!

You can eat the stewed oxtail as is or you can serve it with rice & pigeon peas(which is what I’m doing) or a side of plantains!

 

@LifeandDimSum

Slow-Cookin’ Sundays: Turkey Lasagna

It’s been a couple weeks since I brought the slow cooker out, but I’m back and with full force!

On my quest to find all things wonderful to be made in a slow-cooker, I kept coming across lasagna recipes. My first thought was that lasagna in a slow cooker sounded like a recipe for hard noodled disaster.

Boy was I wrong.

What you need:

For the sauce:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 lb hot(or sweet) lean Italian turkey sausage

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp pesto

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

salt

pepper

The layers:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan

8 oz. grated mozzarella

6 oz. freshly grated parmesan

1 box oven ready noodles

Optional:

1 tbsp crushed garlic

5 baby bella mushrooms

1/2 lb spinach

How To:

Add the olive oil to a pot. Once it begins to heat up, add in the diced onion and garlic. When the onions and garlic have cooked down, add in the Italian sausage. ***You must remove the sausage casings before adding*** You want the sausage to resemble ground turkey in the end, so that’s an essential step.While the turkey browns, heat a little olive oil in a skillet pan and add in chopped garlic, the baby bella mushrooms and the spinach. Allow the spinach to cook until it cooks down. Set aside.Once the turkey has browned, drain the excess oil and return to the heat. Pour in the tomato sauce, paste and diced tomatoes. Mix together and now is the time to season your sauce. I like to add in salt, pepper, garlic powder(can you all tell I love garlic??) and Italian seasoning(if you don’t have that, parsley, oregano & basil will suffice). Add the tbsp of pesto. Allow the sauce to warm up and then set to simmer.

Combine the ricotta, 1 egg and parmesan cheese in a bowl and set aside.Now it’s time to assemble the lasagna.

Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray.

Start with a layer of sauce, followed by noodles, the ricotta mixture, the spinach & mushrooms and then the mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan.

 

And repeat!

You should be able to get at least 3 sets of layers and top the lasagna off with a healthy layers of mozzarella and parmesan.

Set the slow cooker on low and let it go for 4-5 hours. You’ll know when it’s done once the top gets bubbly and brown around the edges.

The finished product:

@LifeandDimSum

Slow-cookin’ Sunday: Vegan Chickpea & Tofu Curry

Indian food is one of my absolute favs! So it’s natural that as a part of my slow cookin adventures, I’d make a curry. I’ve done quite a few meat recipes so I figured I’d try a vegan approach this time.

 

What you need:

2 cans of chickpeas

1 can diced unsalted tomatoes

1 cup diced carrots

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 can coconut milk

2 tspn chopped ginger

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp garam masala

2 tspn tumeric

2 tspn cumin

1 tspn coriander

1 tspn cracked black pepper

1/2 tspn cayenne pepper

2 tspn salt

dash thyme

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

dash cinnamon

2 7oz packages of baked tofu

How to:

Add all of your ingredients except the tofu to the slow cooker and turn the heat on low and set to 5 1/2 hours. 

Once the time approaches the 5 hour mark, dice your tofu into cubes and brown in a skillet. Add your browned tofu to you slow cooker once you reach the 5 hour mark and let it continue to cook for the final half hour.Once it’s all done you can serve this deliciously flavorful curry with rice, quinoa or on it’s own with a dollop of Greek yogurt.

@LifeandDimSum