I love fall because it heralds the season of cooking up soups and stews. Fall means bowlfuls of steaming hot beef-and-bean chili, or topping flimsy red-checkered paper dishes of Frito-Lays with a ladle of chili while you sit in the bleachers, wrapped in a blanket, watching a football game. Except this one is different. Pork cooks for hours in enchilada sauce, becoming pull-apart tender and absorbing the chili spices.
This recipe is closer to a traditional New Mexican carne adovada, substituting pork for beef and adding more chilies. You won’t find cheese or beans, and it’s not pork green chile or a fat-loaded enchilada casserole. It’s also not chile con carne. So what is it?
Pork simmers in a crock pot, tenderizing in the tomatoey acid of the sauce. Infused with chili, cumin and coriander, it’s a bowlful of intensely satisfying flavor. Serve it up alongside rice, flour tortillas or hominy for a comfortable, home-cooked dinner. Topped with a dollop of creamy guacamole to mellow those chili spices, it’s downright heavenly.
Whether you’ve got a crowd of people coming over to watch a football game on TV, or you need something ready on the table for a busy workday, this Crock Pot Pork Stew with Enchilada Sauce is it.
Crock Pot Pork Stew with Enchilada Sauce Recipe
2 — 2 lbs boneless pork sirloin roasts, patted dry with paper towels
4 T olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and diced
6 large garlic cloves, skins removed and chopped
2 — 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 — 28 ounce cans green chile enchilada sauce (two good brands are Hatch or Las Palmas)
1 — 28 ounce can red enchilada sauce (same brands)
4 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 T dried cilantro
1 T ground coriander
2 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
1/8 tsp Fleur De Sel Sea Salt
Note: literally the “flower of salt,” this flaky sea salt is my go-to for impeccably finished flavor. Subtle and floral, as you might expect, the feather light crystals dissolve and permeate a dish with an essence of salt. Find it very reasonably priced at Trader Joe’s stores or on Amazon.
3 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced for garnish
Warm olive oil in large, heavy skillet. Brown pork sirloin on all sides until it is deeply colored. Remove pork to crock pot.
In large bowl, combine onions, garlic, tomatoes, enchilada sauces, chili powder, cumin, cilantro and coriander. Pour over pork in crock pot. If you have excess that doesn’t fit in crock pot, ladle it off and save in freezer for another use.
Cook pork enchilada sauce mixture on low heat for 8 hours.
Remove pork and let cool on cutting board. Shred and return to sauce.
In small bowl, use a fork to mash avocados into coarse paste. Sprinkle with Fleur De Sel and mix in gently.
Serve pork over rice. Top with avocado and sprinkle with scallions.
Makes about 12 servings.
Chili spiced pork sirloin roast stews in enchilada sauce in your crock pot. It makes a great game day meal and is so easy. It’s a crowd pleaser!
Wine Sommelier Stephanie Davis doesn’t only talk wine on her WineTwoFive Podcast. She’s also into making life easy and full of good tastes. And simplicity — that’s almost like a secret ingredient. Crock pots define simplicity and opening a no-nonsense beer doesn’t get any easier. Stephanie recommends pairing the stew with a brown ale called Turbodog from Louisiana’s Abita Brewing Company. The ale is nice, oh-so-smooth and low in IBU’s. It has a loyal following and plays well with spicy foods and even chocolate. The six-pack ($9) can be enjoyed all week long with myriad flavor combos.
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Award-winning author Emily Kemme writes about human nature, illuminating the everyday in a way that highlights its brilliance. Follow her on her blog, Feeding the Famished, https://www.facebook.com/EmilyKemme, or on Twitter @EmFeedsYou . Life inspired. Vodka tempered.
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