2 - 3 lbs pork, cut in 1/2 inch or larger pieces
1 lg onion, cut in large pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 - 16 oz. cans tomatoes, peeled & diced ( 3 med to large fresh diced tomatoes are preferred)
1 - 2 tsp cumin
6 - 8 chopped green chiles ( Hatches Chiles are THE preference.)
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Pork: A boneless Pork Roast, thick Pork Chops, or lean boneless Pork Ribs work well. The less gristle, tendon, and fat the better. I've bought Pork Shoulder Roasts on sale
and they work very well ( much less expensive too).
Two ways to prepare:
1) Put pork, 1/2 of the onion, salt and pepper in a large pot. Cover with water at least 2" above meat. Bring to a boil and simmer until meat is tender, save about 2 cups of the broth. ( I skim the fatty broth from the top of the pot as it's boiling.) ( If the meat is fatty you may want to cook it a day ahead. Remove meat from broth and refrigerate both. Skim off cooled fat and trim meat. )
In a large skillet, combine: diced green chiles, garlic, onion, bell pepper, cumin, and cilantro. Add enough of the broth to saute and keep covered until onion and pepper is soft. Add tomatoes ( with juice), and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Add to large pot with cooked pork. If you don't have enough broth to cover about 1/2 inch add a can of chicken broth. Let this cook on low, uncovered, for about one hour.
When finished cooking, you can now thicken it to your taste with cornstarch. ( mix 2 - 3 tbsp of cornstarch in a half cup of cold water, mix well in the cup, and add to the pot slowly, stirring constantly.)
2) Put the pork ( cut away as much fat on the outside as you can ) in a Crock pot, cover
with about 1 inch of boiling water, and turn to HIGH temp overnight. In the morning,
remove the Pork and put on a plate or dish and wrap with Plastic wrap. Place in the
refrigerator.
Remove any stray bones from the broth in the crockpot using a spoon or strainer.
Combine all ingredients ( except the cornstarch ) and cover the crockpot again. Leave
on HIGH temperature till suppertime.
Thicken with cornstarch if desired. Remove the pork from the refrigerator. You can easily use your fingers to peel off any gristle, or bone, or fat from the pork. Tear or
cut the pork into the size chunks you wish ( l like em big ), and drop into the pot.
Gently stir to mix ingredients ( too much mixing breaks up the nice big chunks of
tender Pork ). DONE!
Ingredients can be increased or decreased to your liking. I like LOTS of pork, and chiles. Less on the bell pepper. Experiment until you hit a WINNER!
LIMA BEAN SOUP
Ingredients:
1 lb. bag of quality Lima Beans
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
1 cup Uncle Ben's "Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown
Rice"
1 Yellow Onion
1 - 4oz. can Mushroom Stems and Pieces
2 lbs. Cooked Ham
Directions:
Big crock pot... About 8:00pm at night ... 1 lb. of Large
(quality) Lima beans.. rinse and pick out bad ones... put
in a crock pot and cover with BOILING or HOT water...
sprinkle in a little salt and turn crock pot on HIGH..
Stirring a couple of times and make sure they are covered
with water BEFORE you go to bed! They will soak up a lot
of water so check and keep adding water until they stop
soaking water before you go to bed.
In the morning.. bout 8:00am you can turn crock pot to low
heat... The fun starts at 7:00pm or there abouts.. We
begin cooking!!!!
Add 1 teaspoon of black pepper to beans and stir in. Turn
the crock pot to HIGH temperature.
Add 1 cup of Uncle Ben's "Natural Whole Grain Instant Brown
Rice" to crock pot and stir in.
Dice 1 yellow onion and cook in margarine or butter until
tender but not yet brown. Add to crock pot and stir in
when done.
Put 1 4oz. can (drained) of Mushroom Pieces and Stems in
the skillet and brown slightly in margarine or butter. Add
to crock pot and stir in when done.
To a fry pan add 2 lbs of diced (to desired size, I do
about 1/2" cubes, fairly large) Cooked ham. Saute in
margarine or butter until slighly browned. (Don't eat the
ham.. hands off! *Laughing*) Add to crock pot and stir
in.. Don't drain any of the extra drippings from any of
these steps when cooking in the fry pan! The juices are
some of the best part...
Let heat up on HIGH heat until you are ready to go to bed..
just cover with water and reduce heat to LOW.
Next morning!!! YES!! mmm try not to eat the whole thing
for breakfast!!
Add water (if you have room :-) ...) for a soupier meal or
leave as is and will make a very thick main dish. Makes
about 8 16oz. storage containers (at least that is how I
measure it). Freeze extra.. is wonderful any time!
MY BEEF STEW!
Ingredients:
2 lbs. Stew meat
2 Family size cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 4 oz. cans of mushroom buttons and pieces
1 cup of Carrots
2 Medium sized white baking potatoes
1 bunch of scallions
4 beef bullion cubes
Directions:
Cook stew meat in a covered frying pan until no longer
pink, but don't overcook. Put meat AND it's juices in the
crock pot, add Cream of Mushroom Soup, mushroom buttons,
beef bullion cubes, and 1 can of water.
Turn to high heat. Dice scallions and Carrots and add to
crock pot.
Let cook overnight on high temp, stirring before bedtime.
In the morning, clean and cube potatoes, rinse and cook in
a bowl in the micro-wave for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked.
Stir into crock pot, reduce heat to Low and let cook til
supper time! Makes 7 - 1 lb. servings.
The meat will be very tender!
For Chili - Queso Stuff Dip Doo Dah
3 - 15 oz Cans of Staggs Chunkero Chili with Beans
1 - 15 oz Can of Ranch Style Beans
1 - 20 oz Can of Refried Beans
2 - 10 1/2oz Cans of Campbells Fiesta Cheddar Cheese
Soup
1 - Diced Red Bell Pepper
5 - Hatches Mild Green Chilies (roasted preferrably. Blend
or dice.)
1/4 cup Diced Yellow onion
1 lb. Ground Beef
4 - eggs
Directions:
Add Chili, diced Bell Pepper, blended Chilies, Beans to
crock pot and turn to high temperature. Pan fry hamburger
and drain. Add hamburger to crock pot.
Cook diced yellow onions in butter in skillet till brown or
soft, add to crock pot. Allow ingredients to cook and heat
overnight on low temperature setting.
In the morning add 4 eggs and blend into mixture. Add
Cheddar Cheese Soup and allow to remain at Low Heat until
lunch or dinner. Stir mixture occasionaly through the day
to prevent sticking to the bottom.
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