I have a pound of pork stew meet and company coming on Saturday.

[intheflow]

What should I make? I'm not the world's greatest chef, but I am a decent cook who enjoys making yummy things to eat to share. So I guess I'm saying, I'm taking suggestions but if go easy on the cooking lingo and if it has more than, say, 12 ingredients, it's probably not the meal for me.

Thanks in advance--I'm looking forward t being inspired! :hi:

[Lucinda]

1. I'd chuck it into a crockpot with some garlic powder, salt and pepper.

When it was done I'd shred it and make BBQ sandwiches.
Not too inspiring, but tasty. :)

[The empressof all]

2. Pretty much what I'd do

I'd add the spiced up pork to about a cup of Pace Picante Sauce. I like the Hot but YMNMV. (The hot is pretty hot--you might want to combine the medium with the hot for good and spicy sauce) Cook in the Crock Pot until the meat is so tender it shreds. Drain the liquid off---Too greasy. Combine the shredded meat with some more Picante Sauce and serve on onion rolls with slices of swiss cheese and Pickles. Coleslaw on the side or on the sandwich itself is a great side.

[intheflow]

4. Sounds pretty good, but

please see my comment that I'm looking for something more upscale than sandwiches. My guest is coming from Iran, I want to make a special sit-down dinner.

[The empressof all]

6. I'm sorry, I didn't see that it needed to be more formal

You can still do a similar recipe in the crock pot. Brown the meat, brown some onions and add them to the slow cooker. If you want spicey you can add Picante Sauce or if you want to go with a more traditional "stew" add a pack of Lipton Onion Soup Mix and a cup of white wine and a half cup of low sodium chicken broth. Cook on high for about 8 hours. At hour 7 brown some mushrooms and add to the crock pot. At the end pour off liquid into a pan and cook away until it's reduced by at least half and starts to look thicker and a little shiney. Taste and adjust for pepper. This is your sauce for your meat..You shouldn't need salt as soup mix is very salty. You could add a bag of frozen artichoke hearts at the last hour too if you want to veg it up.

Serve over Rice that you've mixed with baby peas and some chopped red pepper (You can get roasted red pepper in a jar...Just try to get the one that's not in vinager)

I would also strongly recommend that you try any recipe out first before your "big meal". I'm an extremely competent cook and I'd Never attempt to cook something for the first time for special guests without a run through.


I hope your guests aren't Muslim...No Pork, No wine if they are observant.

[intheflow]

7. I never mentioned I wanted it to be formal.

It didn't occur to me to specify until the ultra-casual sandwiches thing arose so suddenly! :)

This sounds yummy, and much more in line with what I'd been envisioning. Really, anything with mushrooms and artichoke hearts makes my heart swoon a bit--I love them both so much! And I hear ya on the non-marinated red peppers! I could always roast some up myself to add to the rice, I think that sounds quite do-able. Thanks! :hi:

Oh, and not Muslim. Lapsed Catholics, and barely that! LOL

[Tangerine LaBamba]

14. Pork meet?

Well, if your guest is Iranian - and I trust the guest coming from Iran is Iranian - I would be cautious, since I'm not really sure if there are any religious dietary restrictions. Pork is always an iffy choice when doing a dinner for guests.

I'd get some chicken, bake it up simply, with lemon and butter and garlic, fix a big salad, bake some potatoes, and maybe have something like pie a la mode for dinner.

Something very simple, something very American.

[intheflow]

16. "Pork meet"

Sometimes spell check isn't my friend! :rofl:

My friend's a lapsed Catholic. No dietary restrictions.

[kestrel91316]

26. Um, if your guest is from Iran, please be aware that pork is

forbidden to both Muslims and Jews........

Not sure if that's a consideration here....

[intheflow]

3. I was thinking about doing something in the slow cooker.

And as much I like BBQ pork, I'm not a big BBQ pork sandwich fan. (Not a big sandwich fan, period.) Plus I was hoping for something a little more unusual, because it's unusual company that's coming. I want to "wow" them--and BBQ sandwiches just doesn't say "Wow!" to me.

But thanks for the thought! :hi:

[Lucinda]

9. You could always take the crocked pork and make ethnic food

Homemade tamales, enchiladas and black beans with condiments.

Egg rolls, and pot stickers with veggie lo mein.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

15. You want to "wow" them,

but you don't want anything complicated.

Hmmmm.

That's complicated.

And nowhere in your OP did you indicate that it was any kind of upscale or special dinner. You just said you wanted to cook for company.

So, exactly what is it you want? Simple or complex? No BBQ, that's obvious, but you want to do something that will "wow" your company.

What do YOU like?

[intheflow]

19. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

I'm sorry I didn't write out full specs to your satisfaction. :eyes:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

24. Gee........

just trying to help, and, no, I'm in a fine mood.

So much for trying to help.

[kestrel91316]

27. We play nice here in C&B. Ease up.

[intheflow]

30. I'm sorry if you think I'm not being nice.

I honestly thought that poster was messing with me. Their posts still read that way to me. But I understand it's certainly easy enough to misunderstand personalities online, so if I misread the intent of their posts, I'm sorry.

[kestrel91316]

35. This is a FUN place, and we all get along. Not that there isn't

good-natured ribbing, of course, but we don't do flaming here.........

[grasswire]

5. a pound of meat for how many people?

that would be a good thing to know up front.

[intheflow]

8. There will be three of us.

I'm thinking a pound of meat should be sufficient.

[grasswire]

10. I can't remember the last time I cooked just one pound of meat.

It seems barely worth doing, considering the fact that leftovers are so good. Unless you are using the meat as a condiment to other ingredients -- then a pound might work.

[flamin lib]

11. Serving pork to someone from Iran? That said I assume your guest

isn't doing a Halal diet.

First thought is Pork stew. Find a recipe for beef stew and follow it. It's still a bit rustic, but you can dress it up if you want to. Serve an attractive salad with it or a nice crusty bread. You can make the stew, serve it in deep soup bowls, roll out prepared biscuits until they cover the bowls and put them over the stew to make a single serving meat pie. Just bake the single servings in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving. The biscuit floats on top like a crouton and is really quite attractive.

Best advice is do something you know and dress it up in presentation. Don't experiment on your friends and guests.

[eridani]

12. Or use hollowed out bread for the stew bowls? n/t

[intheflow]

17. The bread bowl sounds like a great idea!

:thumbsup:

[Tesha]

13. On a Google search- pork-stew recipe

I've never tried a pork stew - but I will now - look at all these options!


Pork and Black Bean Stew Recipe - Pork Stew Recipe
This delicious pork stew is packed with flavor! A pork stew recipe with black beans, corn, bell pepper, tomatoes, and other seasonings.

Pork Stew with Sweet Potatoes - Crockpot Pork Stew Recipe
This crockpot pork stew contains sweet potatoes, spices, garlic, onion, corn, bell pepper, and spicy Ro-tel tomatoes. A flavorful pork stew recipe.

Green Chile Pork Recipe - Slow Cooker Recipes
This pork roast recipe is made with green chiles and tomatoes and onions. This crockpot pork recipe is shredded and served with tortillas.

Spanish Pork Stew with Potatoes - Crockpot Stew Recipe with Pork, Tomatoes and Potatoes
Crockpot pork stew with potatoes and tomatoes, bell peppers, pork butt, garlic, and onions. This is a pork stew for crockpot or slow cooker.

Crockpot Apple Cider Pork Stew - Pork Stew Recipe for the Slow Cooker
Slow cooker pork stew recipe made with apple cider and apple and carrots, potatoes, and onions. This pork stew recipe is cooked in the crockpot or slow cooker.

Pork and Sauerkraut Stew Recipe- Crockpot Pork Stew Recipe with Sauerkraut
Crockpot or slow cooker pork soup recipe with sauerkraut and pork butt and garlic. This crockpot pork and sauerkraut soup recipe is thickened with flour and sour cream.

Crockpot Stew Recipe - Pork Stew Recipe With Dumplings
Pork stew with potatoes and cornmeal dumplings, along with carrots and seasonings. A crockpot pork stew, a wonderful autumn family meal.

Spicy Chili with Tequila
Ingredients include pork shoulder, garlic, habanero peppers, cumin, oregano, pinto beans, tomatoes, and tequila.

[intheflow]

18. I had found a pork and sweet potato recipe in my crock pot book.

It sounded yummy, but it calls for a pork roast. At the end, the pork is to be removed and shredded and the sweet potatoes mashed. My only hesitation with this recipe is I'm afraid the cubed pork will already have disintegrated (self-shredded) before I can remove it from the sweet potatoes. Do you think that's a possibility? I have to say that the idea of pork and sweet potatoes sounds really yummy to me.

[The empressof all]

20. I think so.

You just want to check on it maybe an a few hours begfore it's suppose to be done. You may need to fish out the meat and let the potatos continue to cook. Then you can re-combine at the end. But I think it won't need to come to that. Check on the cooking time and adjust as you need.,

[Tesha]

23. yummy... yes!

They sound like naturals together...

I'm going to have to try it too.

[hippywife]

21. Is a pound enough for

shish kabob for three? I'm thinking a teriyaki marinade with a little rice vinager and pineapple juice. And grilled or roasted chunks of fresh pineapple, peppers, tomatoe and onion wedges, maybe?

[intheflow]

22. OMG, that sounds delish!

And very, very simple. :thumbsup:

Plus, I'm on a citrus kick, so just the mention of pineapple is making my mouth water! Thanks! :hi:

Edited to add... a pound should be fine for these folks. They like meat but don't eat or cook with it a lot, they prefer to fill up on rice and veggies, mostly. It's why I went with only one pound and not two.

[hippywife]

25. Glad to be of help.

If you see SoyVay VeriVeri Teriyaki on your store shelf, it is awesome! And chock full of garlic and sesame seeds. If not, I just mix soy sauce with brown sugar, maybe a touch of honey, some minced garlic, a very little chopped fresh cilantro (if you have it but it's totally optional) and the juice from your fresh pineapple you are going to use on the skewers. Chop your pineapple a couple days before and stick it in the fridge and you'll have some juice and won't have to buy any unless you get ahold of a really crappy one. Avoid the ones from Mexico. :scared:

[troubleinwinter]

31. Ya forgot ginger in the teriyaki.

Lotsa ginger.

The first thing that crossed my mind reading 'pork stew meat' was Chili Verde.

[hippywife]

33. You're right I did!

Yes, freshly grated ginger is a must!

[troubleinwinter]

34. Yah! Lotsa ginger & lotsa garlic!

Two of my favorite "vegetables"!

[wryter2000]

28. I've used pork to make butter chicken (Indian dish)

http://www.recipezaar.com/Indian-Butter-Chicken-86753

I'm not sure what "green ginger" is. I've used ginger root.

In general, I think pork can substitute for veal and turkey breast in some recipes.

[intheflow]

29. Maybe green ginger is not fully ripe ginger?

:shrug:

That's an interesting observation on pork being interchangeable with certain fowl recipes. I've done that a lot with tomato-based dishes, and I could see where it might work some of my other chicken recipes, now that you mention it. Thanks! :hi:

[troubleinwinter]

32. You did right! Found this:

Q. In a Turkish recipe for chicken curry…what is green ginger?
A. In any recipe anywhere, green ginger is fresh ginger — as opposed to dried, candied, ground, pickled, etc.

Oh, I LOVE fresh ginger, and Japanese pickled, and candied!

Did ya know ginger is regarded as useful as an air/sea sickness preventative? I love candied ginger just to snack on & bring it to share on boat rides. Leaves a wonderful clean fresh taste. Trader Joes has carried some great sliced candied ginger.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

36. Ah, ginger........

It's also regarded as a remarkable anti-inflammatory.

There are doctors, the MD type, around here who prescribe ginger capsules for patients with inflammatory diseases like arthritis, and there is a pharmacist to whom they send their patients - he makes up the capsules himself from ginger that he grinds himself and packages.

I wonder what the FDA would do to him if they found out. But the people swear by it.