Last week I tried to take you on a culinary visit to India, today the tour continues with a jaunt south of the border. Most of us know pork and sweet potatoes in the context of Thanksgiving and Christmas day turkey, honey-baked ham, and sweet potatoes bathed in cinnamon and melted marshmallows but this is a vast departure from all you think you know.
I first discovered this recipe while looking for crock pot dinners to try out on Thursdays. I was looking for something different than the tomato based and chicken based soups, something different and outside the mainstream crock pot recipes. That's when I found Mexican pork and sweet potato stew. I like to try new foods and I like to challenge myself to make foods that I've never made before. Many of the foods that interest me are ethnic and many have combinations of ingredients that I wouldn't come up with on my own.
At first thought I couldn't imagine how pork and sweet potatoes could work together but as I thought about it I slowly got it. Pork, with the exception of cultures that have dietary restrictions on it , is everywhere. A good percentage of the dinners that I post here are pork based. Pork is easy to transport, easy to raise, and doesn't take up much space; it's a cheap and plentiful source of protein. Sweet potatoes, don't those belong on my plate right between the turkey and the cranberry sauce? Well think about it, don't sweet potatoes come from Central and South America? Wouldn't it make sense that sweet potatoes made their way into Mexican cuisine long before they ended up on our holiday plates? With this new perspective I decided, sure I'll take the proverbial trip south of the border. The worst that could happen is it doesn't work out and I end up ordering a pizza.
The moment of truth came as I walked through the front door and I was greeted by that thing I have started to call "the crock pot greeting", that smell that greets you at the door and tells you that something delicious has been cooking in the kitchen all day long. Ten minutes later we were seated at the table with a freshly ladled bowl in front of us. First taste; this is really good, a nice blend of flavors. Second taste; a nice piece of pork, rich, moist and savory. Third taste; a piece of sweet potato soft and delicious, swimming in flavorful liquids. This new dinner was really good and definitely something I could work into my Thursday night rotation.
I have gone on long enough, let's jump into today's recipe.
Mexican-Style Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
Prep time 20 Min. Cook time 420 Min. Serves 4
Ingredients
1 small poblano chile
1 pound lean pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped
14-1/2 ounces canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted, undrained
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
Instructions
Turn on a stove top burner and place poblano chile over open flame (use tongs or a long-handled fork to keep fingers away from flame); carefully turn to char on all sides. Place poblano in a plastic or paper bag; close bag and sett aside for 10 minutes to steam. Rub poblano skin off with your hands under cold running water; core, seed and dice poblano. (Note: if you have an electric range, broil poblano on high 3 inches from burner, turning occasionally until charred on all sides. Follow remaining directions above.)
Place pork in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add broth, sweet potato, onion, poblano chile, tomatoes, cumin, salt and pepper; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Add lime juice and stir well.
This recipe yields about 1-1/2 cups per serving.
Note: Turn up the heat by stirring in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of your favorite spicy salsa.
Serve with a spoonful of fat-free sour cream if desired.
If you are looking to add some new flavors or something with an ethnic flair this dinner is a great place to start. As I said earlier I have put this dinner into my regular Thursday rotation and I have made it a few times, I recently made it for a potluck and it went over very well. As always, if you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.
Next week - Tomato and Basil Bruschetta or 26 Down.
No comments:
Post a Comment