Firecracker Pork with Fruity Lime Salsa

Barbara introduced us to this dish. It's perfect to cook all day on Friday when you know you're having people come over.  You make the salsa one day a head of time, and the pork cooks in the crock pot for 9 hours.  Basically you do nothing and in the end you get a mountain of delicious pork. Next time we make it, we're going to substitute a mango for the papaya so the salsa would be sweater.

Firecracker Pork with Fruity Lime Salsa

 

1 (5lb) boneless Boston Butt pork roast

1 TBS paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup water

1 (7 oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, undrained

1 small onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

16 (8 inch) four tortillas

Fruity Lime Salsa

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

 

Trim fat from roast; cut roast in half crosswise. Combine paprika and next 4 ingredients; stir well.  Rub spice mixture over surface of roast halves; place roast halves in a 6-quart electric slow cooker.  Combine water, chipotle chilies and onion in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.  Pour chile puree over pork.  Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.  Reduce to low heat-setting, and cook 9 hours or until pork is very tender

Remove pork from slow cooker; let stand 10 minutes. Shred pork with 2 forks; set aside.

Pour cooking liquid into a bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Skim fat from surface of liquid. Return cooking liquid and shredded pork to slow cooker; stir well.  Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting 15 minutes or until warm.  Serer pork in flour tortillas with Fruity Lime Salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired. 

 

Yield: 16 servings (serving size 1 tortilla, 1/2 cup pork mixture and about 3 1/2 TBS salsa)

 

Fruity Lime Salsa

1(8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups diced peeled papaya

1 cup diced peeled kiwifruit

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 TBS fresh lime juice

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

 

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (serving size about 3 1/2 TBS)

 

Spicy Red Beans and Rice

I've only had Cajun food on a few occasions, so I don't know how true this dish is to traditional red beans and rice, but I thought it was pretty tasty. It takes a long time to make and serves a lot of people, but it's worth the effort!

1 lb dried red kidney beans
3 bacon slices, chopped
1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 pound salt pork, quartered
5 garlic cloves
2 large celery ribs, sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (32 oz) container chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
Hot cooked rice

Place beans in a dutch oven and cover with water 2 inches above beans. Bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Cover and remove the beans from heat and let stand 1 hour. Drain.

Saute bacon in dutch oven over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add sausage and salt pork. Saute 5 minutes or until sausage is golden brown. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients. Saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in beans, broth, 1 cup water, and next 3 ingredients. Bring to a boil and boil 15 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours or until beans are tender. Remove salt pork before serving. Serve over rice.

Makes ~6 servings.

Linguine with Asparagus, Parmesan and Bacon

This recipe came my way via my friend Mariah. All I needed to know was that she was serving me a dish that included bacon and I was in.

3 cups (1-inch) sliced asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated linguine
5 bacon slices (uncooked)
1 cup chopped onion
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper object2=">
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded Parmesan cheese
Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan, crumble and set aside. Reserve 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Add onion, garlic, and oregano to drippings in the pan; sauté 4 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil.

While the tomato mixture is coming to a boil, cook asparagus and pasta according to pasta package directions. Drain.

Once the tomato mixture comes to a boil, stir in butter, salt, and pepper; remove from heat. Place asparagus mixture in a large bowl; add tomato mixture. Top with crumbled bacon and shredded cheese. Garnish with shaved Parmesan, if desired.

Serves 4.

Baked Pork Chops with Sauerkraut

Todd's mom introduced me to this dish and I now consider it one of my staples. It goes great with one of everyone's staples: macaroni and cheese:)

4 thin cut boneless pork chops (I usually buy 2 thick ones and cut them myself)
1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut
Salt
Pepper
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and add all 4 pork chops, turning about every minute or so, just until all sides are browned (do not cook all the way through).

Coat a 13x9 glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place pork chops into dish and cover each chop with some sauerkraut. Put remaining sauerkraut (and liquid) in the dish alongside the chops. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.