Beef stew in the slow cooker

I really like slow cookers. 

I also adore this recipe. This is the best beef stew I ever made, and one of few recipes in my book to feature very little garlic. Sometimes I add peas or sun-dried tomatoes. 

Amounts are approximate: adjust as desired. The only absolutely necessary ingredients are beef, beef stock, red wine, and cardamom. 

You may wish to add salt to taste at the end. I tend to under-salt and over-pepper, because I am old. 

Ingredients:

Beef roast cut into inch-size chunks (about a pound and a half) 

Carrots (1 package "baby" carrots)

Potatoes (several, red and/or golden)

1-2 cups pearl onions 

2 tablespoons pearled barley, if desired 

Olive oil 

Olive oil infused with orange oil, if you can get it

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

2-3 cups beef stock

1 cup dry red wine 

1/4 cup liquor - I prefer tequila or Irish whisky 

4 tablespoons dark soy sauce 

1-2 teaspoons ground cardamom 

2 teaspoon black pepper 

1 teaspoon salt 

3 cloves of garlic 

If the pearl onions are frozen, consider thawing them first. 

Turn slow cooker on high and coat bottom with good, extra virgin olive oil. (Save the orange for later.) Chop garlic fine and add it to the slow cooker, along with the barley, carrots, tequila, soy sauce, salt, pepper, cardamom, red wine, and enough beef stock to cover. 

Sear the beef in a skillet with the olive-orange oil on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Don't worry about browning every side, just get some color on it. Then transfer the beef to the slow cooker. 

Top the beef with potatoes; if they're large, cut them into chunks first. Golden and/or red potatoes are best. 

Finally, add the pearl onions and sesame oil, and cover with the rest of the beef stock. If everything isn’t covered, that’s fine, but immerse the onions and potatoes as best you can. 

Cover and set on high for about four hours, or high-then-low, if your slow cooker does that, for six-and-a-half-plus hours. 

 

Pork carnitas in the slow cooker

Now this is my personal spin on pork carnitas. I got the original recipe from a Mexican lady: she really appreciated how much I enjoyed her carnitas. I vary the recipe on occasion but a few elements remain the same: pork of course, the seasoning, and... well, the pork and the seasoning.

As I've said before, amounts are approximate: indulge your inner Zen archer.

Ingredients:

pork roast
orange juice
lemon and/or lime juice
tequila (reprosado, natch; or Irish whisky in a pinch - or you can stick to orange juice. You have to have some liquid, and I like something that has a bit of bite.)
garlic
carrot
potato
olive oil

plus a heaping teaspoon of each of the following, per pound of pork:
salt
black pepper
oregano
cumin

Start heating the slow cooker; coat the bottom with olive oil and put in the garlic, about three good-sized pieces of garlic per pound of pork. (You can reduce the amount of garlic without any problem - I simply love garlic.)

Take the pork and cut it into sections, maybe half a pound per section; this is a good time to remove excessive fat, if you're so inclined. Don't be afraid of the dark meat, it's your friend! Coat each section with the dry seasonings, and place it in the slow cooker.

Pour orange juice and alcohol over the pork, half-covering it. Add lemon and/or lime juice, about a teaspoon per pound of pork.

Toss in some carrot - I use three or four "baby" carrots per pound of pork. Also put in a small potato or two, cut into sections. Make sure the vegetables are submerged in the liquid.

(You'll notice I omit onions - the kiddo doesn't care for them, so I do without. If you add onion, recommend you dice it fine.)

Cover and cook on high for three-and-a-half or four hours; when the pork appears to be cooked, remove it and shred it with forks. Place it back in the liquid and let it cook another half-hour.

If you plan to use the pork in a taco or burrito, I recommend you fry it a minute or two on a hot griddle before serving. My son likes to fry it and use it in nachos, but I will eat this out of the crock if I'm allowed.