Sunday, October 14, 2012

Savory, Slow-Cooked Pork Stew for #SundaySupper

When I think of comfort food, I think of rich flavors. Sauces. I think of intoxicating smells that conjure fond memories of growing up. I think of coming home from college and eating my mom's home-cooked meals. And I think of something I can put in a pot or a crockpot and let cook all day while we lay around in our pajamas and watch movies all day. I do NOT, for once, think healthy. (Although, this recipe is not unhealthy.)

After years of practice, I am proud to say I have mastered the art of the stew. And after a long internal struggle, I have finally learned to embrace the warm glow of the crockpot. I used to consider the crockpot to be lazy cooking. I considered the people who used them to be a sellout. But nothing can cook something slowly and bring out the flavors in certain recipes better.

Wow, am I glad I got over myself because this meal is just amazing. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. The family loved it. And it makes for great leftovers too. It takes a little bit of preparation the day before, but I included substitutions to make it even easier.



Ingredients:
  • 1 qt. Tomato sauce (Homemade. Not something store-bought from a jar, please. That would make me sad.)
  • 3 bone-in, center-cut pork chops, dry marinated and grilled
  • 4 medium roasting potatoes, cubed
  • 1/2 medium onion, sliced
  • 1/2 package frozen peas
Procedure:
  1. Dry marinate your pork chops before grilling them. I suggest grilling them because the first time I made this stew I used leftover grilled pork chops. They added a nice smokey flavor. Dry marinate with anything from just salt and pepper, to garlic power, rosemary, parsley, and oregano. Let them sit a half hour to an hour before you grill them until they're browned on each side. You can also broil them, I guess. Or to avoid grilling, use a fattier cut of pork like a loin roast.
  2. I also used leftover homemade tomato sauce. (I call it "gravy." But I'm not getting into that argument right now. Whatever.) If you don't have any homemade, PLEASE don't use Ragu or anything else from a jar. That's an insult to my heritage and my recipe. Get 2-3 large cans of Redpack or some other brand of plain old tomato Sauce and use that. Do NOT use puree. That's sh!t's too sweet. Yuck.
  3. Pour everything into your crockpot, sauce first. Cook it on low for 10-11 hours. Or until the pork falls off the bone.
  4. About 9-10 hours in, add the peas.
  5. Serve with some of your favorite bread for dunking. The dunking is key.
Making it Peanut-friendly:
  • The pork was a big hit because Peanut does not like red meat unless it's very tender. So whenever I make a beef stew, it's a struggle to get her to eat let alone enjoy it. Pork falls under her "chicken" category. Score.
  • Peanut also likes any meal involving bread. Bread's fun. And it's a rare treat.
  • The peas are also a hit because they're her favorite vegetable. Hiding them in a stew is a good way to get even the pickiest child to eat some vegetables. 
Please check out these other great #SundaySupper comfort food recipes:

Comfort Food |Soups
Comfort Food | Main Dish
Comfort Food | Desserts

25 comments:

  1. I love that you can make this in the crockpot.

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  2. I love that this is a crockpot meal! That way I can set it before work and come home to comfort!

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  3. I definitely remember my mom making stew in the crock pot on cold winter nights when we lived in WI and MI - your recipe looks great!

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  4. Like all your recipes they are simple, easy & healthy ! Will Give this one a shot I think. Like crock pot cooking !!

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  5. All I can think of is a baked potato smothered in this wonderful stew. I think my husband might actually eat pork chops if I made them this way.

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  6. Love crockpot meals and this sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing!

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  7. Slow cooker meals are so comforting and yours looks fantastic!!

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  8. Slow cookers are such life savers if you ask me. They allowed me to go to all my kids sports and after school stuff and never sacrifice dinner. Love this recipe. Nothing beats stew for comfort food.

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  9. This pork stew looks amazing. I definitely see this stew in my future.

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  10. I´m glad your overcome your issues because this sounds amazing! The idea of grilling first is perfect for another flavor dimension.

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  11. YUM. . love a good stew! this looks amazing!

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  12. The pork stew looks amazing! A bowl would be perfect right now. :)

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  13. Yum! Now all I have left to do is get a crockpot :) Your dish looks fantastic!

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  14. This looks great! Thanks for sharing. I will have to try it soon.

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  15. I LOVE my crockpot, especially this time of year. This looks wonderful.

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  16. Glad you finally embraced the slow cooker. Your pork stew looks so, so good.

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  17. I am always looking for new crock pot meals. Having three boys in sports/activies and coaching, leaves me little time to cook after school. This recipe will be tried soon! Thanks for sharing!!

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  18. 5 ingredients and a crockpot. That could be a title for a song...

    ...or not.

    I love the simplicity of this recipe and it looks and sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing...

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  19. I love how simple this dish is and Peanut approved. Loving the idea of the pork chop. I'm sure a lot of flavor comes from the bone.

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  20. Stew always brings me back to childhood, which is exactly what you want in comfort food!

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  21. Perfect for winter (and fall) I love stew!

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  22. That looks so good and what a great way to use leftover pork chops.

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  23. Another crock pot recipe--I love it! While I do love crock pot cooking, I often refer to it as a torture cooker--if you're at home surrounded by those wonderful aromas for hours on end, it can be torture!

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