A weekend off work (and no garden or canning chores calling my name) and man did I get some *stuff* done. I managed to cross a few small projects off my to-do list and cooked up a storm. I worked on 3 new recipes and did some follow up work on some other recipes that I have been tweaking. Today I am going to share the one that was my favorite (shhh -- don't tell, like children, all the recipes should *think* they are my favorite).
Until I recently saw a Tinga recipe, I had no clue what that was -- my best guess after trying to track down the actual meaning is that it is a stew of sorts. The meat may vary but it always seems to have potatoes in it. Well, a spicy stew was what I was looking to create, so a Tinga it was going to be. I was also looking for a way to use my slow cooker so from those humble beginnings comes what I think is a keeper of a recipe that will make a lot of cold evening suppers this winter!
Pork Tinga
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb lean pork (shoulder, boneless ribs, etc.), cut into 1-1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces chorizo sausage, removed from casing*
1 lb turnips, peeled and cut into large cubes
1 medium sized onion, sliced into thick slices
1 clove minced garlic
1 28-ounce can tomatoes
1-2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped finely (add more if you like it HOT - I used 3 and hot it was)
1-2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped finely (add more if you like it HOT - I used 3 and hot it was)
2 tsp of the adobo sauce from chipotles
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Mexican Oregano**
salt
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and cubed for serving
Queso Fresco*
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet. Once oil is very hot, add the pork and chorizo in a single later and cook, stirring until the meat has browned, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to crock of slow cooker. Add the turnips. In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and 1/2 tsp salt. Pour mixture into slow cooker and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn down to low for another 4 hours. After 6 hours, gently stir and add a little water if sauce seems to thick. Add more salt if needed. Ladle into large serving bowls and top with avocado cubes and crumbled Queso Fresco. Serves 6 generously! Each serving 569 calories, 17.03g carbs, 7.3g fiber = 9.73g net carbs (stats include 1/6 of a large Hass avocado).
I served this with Maria's *Healthified* Tortillas - a favorite at our house.
*I was not sure if Chorizo would be found in my small town grocery store -- it was hiding in frozen foods. Now Queso Fresco was not there and I did not make the 80 mile round trip to get some -- crumbled Farmers cheese worked perfectly.
**regular oregano will be fine if you cannot get Mexican oregano
A special THANK-YOU to my favorite guinea pig who so cheerfully eats all my experiments and always tells me he likes it!!
I served this with Maria's *Healthified* Tortillas - a favorite at our house.
*I was not sure if Chorizo would be found in my small town grocery store -- it was hiding in frozen foods. Now Queso Fresco was not there and I did not make the 80 mile round trip to get some -- crumbled Farmers cheese worked perfectly.
**regular oregano will be fine if you cannot get Mexican oregano
A special THANK-YOU to my favorite guinea pig who so cheerfully eats all my experiments and always tells me he likes it!!
