Chunky Pork Shoulder Ragu

This is one of the best sauces I have ever made! How's that for an opening? So simple and so flavorful, this one is definitely a keeper. The recipe comes from Michele Scicolone's The Italian Slow Cooker. This will make 10 cups so be prepared to feed at least 6 people. Serve over a nice hearty pasta like rigatoni.

Chunky Pork Shoulder Ragu

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs boneless pork shoulder roast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
1 28 oz can Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped
Salt
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Remove meat to large slow cooker.
Add onion and fennel seeds to skillet and cook until onion is golden and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, sage and rosemary. Add tomato puree and chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt and stir well. Pour sauce into slow cooker, add crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours, until pork is very tender.
Remove meat to cutting board but leave sauce in cooker with heat on. With two forks, tear meat into bite size pieces. Return to pot and stir in fresh basil.

Cauliflower,Pancetta and Pasta Soup

For Christmas, I received a new cookbook, The Italian Slow Cooker by Michele Scicolone. The book is full of what look to be wonderful recipes and I have already tried a few of them. I usually get the food together the night before and throw it in the refrigerator, so all I have to do in the morning is put the crock in the heating unit, turn it on and go. Eating a healthy, home cooked meal is so much more satisfying than going out, or heaven forbid, eating fast food. This recipe uses chicken broth, but I think it may have been better with veggie broth instead, that's how I would prepare it next time. i upped some of the ingredients in my version to give the flavor a boost. Lots of black pepper seemed to finish it off well. Also top it with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This soup serves 8, so invite the neighbors for dinner.

Cauliflower, Pancetta and Pasta Soup

4 oz finely chopped pancetta
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium cauliflower, 1 1/2 lbs, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
1 1/2 cups ditalini or tubetti
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a medium skillet, cook pancetta in oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, until lightly golden. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Scrape the mixture into large slow cooker. Add cauliflower and stir well.
Add broth, salt and pepper and red chili flakes. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or until cauliflower is tender.
Stir in pasta and cook 30 minutes more, or until tender. Add parsley and Parmesan just before serving.

Slow Cooker Beef Barbecue

This recipe was in American Profile, a magazine that comes in a free weekly paper thrown in my neighborhood. I thought it sounded easy and am always looking for recipes that cook themselves! It's not bad for a crock pot meal and a cheap cut of meat. i would prepare this again and actually want to try it with a pork roast. I served it on toasted whole wheat buns.


Slow Cooker Beef Barbecue

1 (2 - to 2 1/2 lb) boneless chuck roast
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium celery stalk, chopped
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1/4 cup all-purpose flour



Sprinkle roast with garlic salt. Place in bottom of greased 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker. Top with onion and celery.
Combine brown sugar, ketchup, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and liquid smoke in a small bowl. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat and place on cutting board.
Ladle 1/4 cup of liquid into a small bowl. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Stir into sauce in slow cooker. Shred beef with a fork and return to slow cooker. Cook on high for 30 minutes. Serve on buns.

La Nueva Ropa Vieja

I found this recipe a few months back in The Kansas City Star and thought it look good and simple. It goes together simply and turns out really nice. I served it over rice with warm tortillas, but it would also taste great on toasted onion buns. You can do all you chopping the night before and assemble it in the morning pretty fast. I changed this slightly from the written recipe, they called for 2 teaspoons of bottled garlic and I hate using that stuff and I used 2 red bells as opposed to 1 red and 1 green.

La Nueva Ropa Vieja

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

3 bay leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 large onion, sliced

2 lbs. skirt or flank steak

2 red bell peppers, sliced

1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, seasoned with garlic and olive oil

2 cups cooked rice

Put tomato sauce, water, bay leaves, vinegar, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Add sliced onion and place beef over them. Spoon some of the liquid over the beef. Add the sliced peppers and pour diced tomatoes evenly over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Before serving, use two forks to pull beef into shreds. Stir together and serve over rice.

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Chile-Citrus Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

I wanted to put something in the crock pot for last night's dinner, so I bought a pork butt. I had some small flour tortillas at home and thought that they needed to be filled with a shredded pork. So I picked up an onion, a bell pepper and a jalapeno and went searching for something to pour over all if it. I was at Target and went to the Mexican food aisle, where I saw all these different Archer Farms marinades and sauces. There was one called Chile Citrus Marinade and Grill Sauce and it seemed to be what I needed. The sauce has orange juice, roasted garlic and orange and lemon peel in it. The end result was perfect and my 13 year old nephew even liked it.

Chile-Citrus Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

1 3-lb boneless pork butt roast

1 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

1 onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

1 jalapeno, seeded and cut into strips

1 (12.5 oz) jar Archer Farms Chile Citrus Marinade and Grill Sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the roast on all sides and brown in skillet. Place the vegetables in the bottom of a crock pot; top with the browned roast and pour sauce over all. Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Remove pork and shred using 2 forks. Return to crock pot and mix all together. Serve on tortillas or over rice. Top with fresh chopped cilantro and green onions.