I'm one of those people that can't stand to eat the same stuff all the time. Even when I really, really love a recipe, I have to make sure there's at least 2 weeks between eating times. Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. Ummmmm, that was until I made this pork stew. I really think I could eat this every day and be perfectly happy! I like to snag meat when it's on clearance at the store (as long as it's not a funny color) and then stash it in the freezer for future meals. This stew was born from such a package of meat! I've been on a bit of a Thai/Indian, curry kick lately and wanted to head in that direction. I generally search for recipes that sound good and then tweak them to our tastes, but I was feeling brave and decided to wing it. I'm REALLY glad I did!
Bombay Pork Stew
Ingredients
2lbs pork stew meat, trimmed of fat
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 C carrots, chopped
1 C celery, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger, grated fresh
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp flour
15oz can diced tomato (with green chili if you like it spicy)
1 can of water
2 C chicken broth
1 C dried lentils
1/2 C cream (or half&half)
Directions
In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp oil over med high heat and brown pork in 2 batches, adding another tbsp of oil between batches. Remove to a plate. Add final tbsp of oil to pot, followed by onion, carrot and celery. Saute for about 5-6 minutes then add in the garlic and ginger. Stir in curry powder, cumin, garam masala and salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour is incorporated. Add lentils, tomatoes, water and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve as is, or over rice.
A few notes...
1. I strongly recommend making some Naan to go along with this (or buy some from the store if you can find it)!
2. I think you could probably chuck all this in the crock pot (minus the cream, still add that at the end) and it would be equally good.
3. Don't like pork, use chicken. Don't eat meat, toss in cauliflower instead!
You'll probably find me lurking at a few of these places!
