Pork and Hominy Stew

This isn't quite pork green chili and it's not quite pozole but it's a little spicy and a lot savory and such a warming comforting bowl of stew. I love using leftover shredded pork from carnitas or leftover shredded pork from a bbq night. If you don't have leftover pulled pork you could easily make this with one of those spicy cilantro chicken sausages that are easy to find in the store these days or some shredded rotisserie chicken. I love hominy, it adds a good amount of starch to the stew without making you feel like a balloon...but I still added one small can of cannellini beans because they are so tasty.

What you need:

All the leftover pork from the carnitas recipe or you could use leftover shredded pork bbq or shredded rotisserie chicken (1-1.5 lbs)

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

Salt and pepper

2 jalapeño (carefully remove the seeds if you don't want too much spice)

1 poblano pepper

1 small yellow onion

1 finely grated carrot

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

25 oz can of hominy, rinsed and drained

15 oz can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup of frozen chopped spinach

1/4 cup cilantro

1.5-2 quarts of chicken broth

Begin by chopping your peppers and onions and adding them to a soup pot with a drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper. Begin sweating them over medium heat stirring occasionally. After about 5 minutes add the spices and chopped garlic, and shredded carrot. Add another pinch of salt and pepper. Allow the spices to become very fragrant and and stir so the garlic doesn't burn. After about 3 minutes add the meat and stir to coat it with all of the spices. Now add one quart of broth and the beans and hominy. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the spinach and cilantro. If you feel it is too thick add more broth. Simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally so the bottom doesn't burn. Serve with hot sauce, more fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and your favorite cheese. We used Cotija because we had some leftover from taco night, it's really mild and creamy. Enjoy!

Carnitas

It’s no secret that we love tacos in our house. Honestly, they are a perfect family meal. My kids love them and I love feeding them to the kids. The combination of protein, carb, a little veg….its healthy and yummy. They can assemble them on their own and everyone gets to customize them their own way. For a little variety and an attempt to make life easier this week I decided to make a huge pork shoulder that could be shredded for carnitas tacos and then the next day I could use the leftovers for some variety of pork green chili that we all love. I used my Instant Pot for this recipe to keep the cook time to one hour, it could be adjusted easily for a slow cooker. Let’s start with the tacos.

What you need:

4 lb pork shoulder or pork butt

1 lime

1 orange

4 clove garlic

1 sweet or yellow onion

1 jalapeño, seeds optional if you like heat. I removed them for the kids.

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

3/4 tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper

This is SO easy. I used my Instant Pot because I wasn’t organized early enough in the day. You could very easily do this in the slow cooker, but for this size pork shoulder I would allow 8-9 hours on low.

First squeeze the juice of one orange and one lime into the pressure cooker or slow cooker. Now add one whole jalapeño that you have sliced in half and removed the seeds if desired. Add one onion that has been halved or quartered. Add 4 cloves of garlic. Rub the pork all over with the spices. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over. I used a shoulder that had been tied by the butcher, makes it easily transferable to and from the Instant Pot. It’s fine if you don’t have it tied but it will be trickier to remove. Add to the pressure cooker. With the Instant Pot I selected the meat/stew meat option and cooked for 60 minutes and then allowed it to slow release for about 5 minutes before just switching it off on my own. If you are using your slow cooker adjust depending on your personal slow cooker but most of them will probably take 8-9 hours. The pork is finished when it shreds easily with a fork.

Remove the pork and shred the meat with a fork. Discard the soggy pepper and onions but reserve a bit of the juices. Return the pork to a dish with the drippings, so much flavor in that sauce. We like to place it on a baking tray and broil it for 3 minutes to get some of the edges extra crispy, this is optional. Serve with all of your favorite taco toppings. We used Cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce.

Korean BBQ-ish meatballs

My number one favorite takeout restaurant in Charlottesville is Doma which serves delicious Korean bbq short ribs and fried chicken wings. I can’t get enough of the sauces and pickles that they serve with everything and I couldn’t even begin to reproduce their recipes. That being said, I had a jar of Gochujang sitting in the pantry and I thought I would do my best to use that in a healthy family meal that everyone would enjoy. The girls loved these meatballs, they aren’t too spicy but they are just a little pungent, sweet, and savory. Sneaking in a little grated zucchini is a good way to add moisture to the meatballs and get extra veggies into the kids. They had no idea!

What you need:

For the Meatballs:

1 1/2 lbs of ground beef, turkey, or chicken

1/2 a cup of shredded zucchini (use the cheese grater to shred and save the rest for something else)

1/2 a small yellow onion grated with the cheese grater (my kids don’t like to see the chunks of onions, it makes for a smoother meatball and helps them from drying out)

2 garlic cloves minced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

2 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 tbsp soy sauce

3/4 cup crushed cracker crumbs or bread crumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the glaze:

1/3 cup apricot preserves

2 tbsp gochujang

1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1-2 tbsp soy sauce

Mix everything together and simmer in sauce pan until thickened (about 5 minutes).

*** This glaze is borrowed from https://www.culinaryhill.com/korean-barbecue-meatballs/

Serve with chopped scallions, toasted sesame seeds, kimchi, rice, and veggies

Mix everything together in a bowl, I usually use my hands but you can use a fork…just make sure it’s all very well blended. Form into roughly 1 1/2 inch rounds (slightly smaller than a golf ball) Bake at 350° for about 25-30 minutes. I usually flip the balls halfway through. You can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature or just do what I do and cut one in half to check the inside and then eat it : )

I typically will throw some broccoli into the oven to roast alongside the meatballs. You can dunk the meatballs into the sauce pan with the glaze to coat them with it or just drizzle it over top of each serving. Precooked frozen rice is a weeknight savior. The toasted sesame seeds on top are clutch. Enjoy!