Cookbook Challenge: Spicy Pork Stew

It's finally starting to feel like autumn around here so for this week's Cookbook Challenge I thought it was the perfect time to crack open a book I purchased several years ago and completely forgot about. Seriously though, how cosy does this cover look?! Really looking forward to trying more dishes as Britain settles into the colder seasons. I'd never tried using pork in a stew before since I usually fall back on my favorite beef stew recipe when I'm feeling like something warm and comforting. Therefore, this recipe was a delicious revelation. The spices add a nice background of heat while the sweet potatoes bring that addictive sweetness.

Fireside Feasts and Snow Day Treats: 

Indulgent comfort food for winter eating and entertaining

Edited by Ellen Parnavelas

Ryland Peters and Small, 2012

This recipe was also great because it includes kidney beans which serve to keep you full for longer. After talking to my sister about it, we decided that you could easily add in a can of black beans for added protein if you're looking for a low carb option. I served the stew with couscous because it was easiest but I also had the leftovers on their own and they were equally tasty. Definitely give this one a try - particularly since pork shoulder is one of the cheaper cuts of meat so it won't be causing any pain to your wallet. I'll warn you though, this recipe makes an absolute ton of food! I froze half of it and still struggled to finish all the leftovers before they went off. As a result, I think this could be a great option for easy entertaining or if you want to have leftovers for work week meals. 

Prep Time: 5-10 min

Cook Time: 75 min

Serves: 4-6 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

700g/1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder, cubed

1 tsp clear honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 red chili, sliced

1 can chopped tomatoes

500ml chicken stock

800g / 1 3/4 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 

1 bay leaf

1 can red kidney beans

a handful of fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

Salt

Pepper

Plain yogurt, to serve 

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 150C / 300F.

Over a medium heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large casserole dish. If you don't have a dish that is safe to use on both the stove and in the oven, then start this recipe off in a large pot and then decant into a casserole dish. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften. Next add in the ciim and oregano and cook until fragrant. Remove the onion mixture from the dish and set aside.

Add the remaining oil and the pork into the dish and cook for 5-7 minutes or until it starts to brown. Next add in the honey, garlic, and chili. Season with salt and mix well. When everything has combined nicely, add in the onion mixture along with the canned chopped tomatoes, stock, sweet potatoes and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then cover and move to the preheated oven. Cook for forty minutes.

When forty minutes have elapsed, remove the dish from the oven and add in the red kidney beans. Cover and return to the oven for a final twenty minutes.

To serve, sprinkle with fresh coriander/cilantro and a dollop of yogurt. Enjoy! 

Jambalaya

Hello lovely readers! After far too long, it's time for a new recipe... Jambalaya! Having grown up primarily outside of the United States, I was ashamed to realize that I'd never actually tried this delicious dish before. However, with a recipe this easy, I can safely say I'll be repeating the experience as often as possible! 

An export of Louisiana Creole country, this spicy and filling dinner was surprisingly quick and easy to knock together - chopping up the ingredients was the most time consuming element. Although most recipes use Andouille sausage, I went with this recipe's suggestion of chorizo since it's much easier to come by here in Britain. However, I'm sure this version would work equally well with either ingredient. 

Please don't be put off by the long list of ingredients! Although it looks like it could add up at the supermarket, you'll be surprised at how many items you probably already have - such as the garlic, spices, stock and rice. Also, this recipe calls for chicken, chorizo and prawns but you could easily skip the prawns if you prefer. Finally, I've tried this recipe with both canned tomatoes and fresh ones and didn't see any difference between the two so use whatever is more convenient. 

Recipe via www.hairybikers.com

Prep Time: 5 - 10 min

Cook Time: 20 - 30 min

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

4 large chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
200g chorizo, outer skin removed and chopped
Olive oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 large celery sticks, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
5 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can of chopped tomatoes)
3-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
2 bay leaves
200g long-grain rice (easy cook version)
450ml chicken stock
150g cooked and peeled prawns (or shrimp if you're American)
6 spring onions, sliced
salt
pepper
Fresh coriander/cilantro

Method: 

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the chicken for three to five minutes until starting to brown. Add the chorizo and cook for a minute until fragrant. Remove the chicken and chorizo from the pot and set aside.

Next, remove most of the oil from the pot - leaving just enough to sauté the vegetables (about a tablespoon). Stir in the onion, celery and peppers. Over a low heat, cook the vegetables for eight to ten minutes until they soften, stirring occasionally so they don't stick to the pot.

When the vegetables are ready, stir in the spices. After a minute, add in the chopped tomatoes and their juice. Increase the heat to medium and cook for five minutes or until the tomatoes have softened.

Add the chicken and chorizo back into the pan along with the rice. Cook for a minute, stirring to make sure the rice is fully incorporated. Next pour over the stock and add salt and pepper to taste.

Bring the pot to a simmer and cook for ten minutes or until the rice is ready, stirring occasionally. The rice will absorb most of the liquid but if the pot is looking too dry, add a little more stock and stir to combine.

Finally, stir in the prawns/shrimp and the spring onions and cook for about two minutes or until the prawns have heated through.

Serve with a sprinkle of coriander/cilantro and enjoy!