I was determined to deny winter its power on this blizzard of an evening. So, I decided to make an old favorite that I made quite often in Florida but never in Nayaug: a spring pork stew. Spring because of the plethora of vegetables.
I set a pot to warming on high. My mother's 28 year old electric Jenn-Air takes a while to warm up its burners. I drizzled once around the pot with extra virgin olive oil.
Chopped a big sweet onion - I believe this was a Walla Walla, can't remember - and tossed it in.
Tossed in a tablespoon of minced fridge-garlic.
Tossed in two ribs of celery, chopped.
Tossed in three medium potatoes, chopped.
Tossed in about 12 baby carrots, chopped.
Tossed in one yellow pepper, seeded and chopped.
Tossed in two zucchini (here's the especially spring part), chopped.
I had a box of organic chicken broth from Whole Foods, so I started pouring it in bit by bit to let the vegetables steam.
I pulled the leftover pork roast out of the fridge and warmed that up for two minutes in the microwave. This is an old microwave - two minutes does just enough to leave the meat cold but make it pliable.
I then trimmed it of every ounce of fat and chopped the rest into bite-size pieces. Tossed those into the pot.
Poured the rest of the chicken broth into the pot. Added a cup of water. Put the lid on. Let it simmer.
At some point I added a tablespoon of italian seasoning and a packet of Sazón. I added sea salt (Celtic gray) and a healthy dose of white pepper.
I let it simmer some more, checking the potatoes for doneness.
Then I grabbed the box o' tapioca and measured out a scant half cup. Poured that in, mixed it all up. Presto! Stew! Just the right thickness.
And, five minutes later, we were done. Ladled it into soup bowls. Had I thought of this ahead of time, I would have made bread. Such is life...
No comments:
Post a Comment