Porter Pork Stew

It's been a long time since I made stew with real meat... wait make that I've never made stew with real meat! I altered the original recipe that called for lamb and Guinness, choosing instead pork and Duck-Rabbit brand Porter. The stew was delicious and totally worth the long cook time. Great for a cold dreary winter evening!

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme OR 1 TBS fresh chopped thyme
3/4 tsp dried rosemary OR 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 TBS all-purpose flour
2 lbs local, bone-in pork loin chops, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle Duck-Rabbit porter (or other dark stout/ porter of your choice)
1 TBS tomato paste
3 cups broth (I used veggie)
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed peeled, Yukon gold potato
2 cups 1-inch thick diagonally sliced carrot
2 small/ medium turnips, peeled and quartered

1. Heat a large Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add olive oil to pan, swirl to caot. Add onion, thyme and rosemary; saute 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place onion mixture in a large bowl.

2. Place four in a shallow dish. Sprinkle pork evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge pork in flour, shake off excess. Return pan to med-high heat. Add 1 TBS oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of pork mixture to pan; saute 5 - 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add browned pork to onion mixture. Repeat the procedure with remaining pork and remaining olive oil.

3. Add beer to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to about 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return onion mixture and pork to pan. Stir in tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and bay leaf; bring to a boil. cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and stir in potato, carrot, and turnips. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Pork Chops with Red-Eye Gravy

This is a fairly easy and SUPER delicious dish loaded with unique flavor. Love it! I used a french press to make the strong coffee which worked out great. Serve with a side of grits or mashed potatoes and a dark green like wilted spinach.

Pork Chops with Red-Eye Gravy (Cooking Li.ght December 2011)

1 TBS olive oil

4 (6 oz) bone in pork chops

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

1/4 cup shallots, chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 small package mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/2 cup hot strong brewed coffee, divided

1/2 cup tomato juice

2 tsp sherry vinegar ( I used cider vinegar)

1. Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add oil to pan. Swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Add pork chops to pan, and cook 3 -5 minutes on each side (or until done), covering partially with a lid. Remove pork from pan, keep warm.

2. Add shallots, thyme, and sliced mushrooms to pan. Saute 4 - 5 minutes. (I added a small amount of water to loosen the browned bits from the pan at this time.) Stir in sherry and cook 30 seconds, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in remaining salt and pepper, 1/4 cup coffee, juice and vinegar. Bring to a simmer, cook for 3 minutes. Combine cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup coffee. Add cornstarch mixture to pan, stirring with a whisk; cook 2 minutes until thickened, remove from heat.

Enjoy!