In case you missed it, Puxatawny Phil saw his shadow this year and as a result, we’re officially entitled to six more weeks of winter.
Six more weeks.
At this stage in the game, that can feel like a lifetime. I find myself dreaming of swimsuits and summer time. I pine for beach days and mountain camp outs with my boys. Heck, even spring break would be a welcome change from the biting, mostly grey days of winter.
I find that the best way to battle these chilly weather blues, is to focus on the positives. Sledding is a lot harder in the summer without all the white stuff to give you a running start. I get to wear my favorite sweaters and skinny jeans on a regular basis. Best of all, I can find pleasure in the consumption of my favorite hearty and delicious cold weather comfort food. Bring on the soups. Hand over the pasta. Braise the beef. Slow cook the stews. I positively adore winter weather grub.
Stews especially grab my attention because in addition to their heartiness, they fit perfectly into my hectic winter time schedule. Simply throw the ingredients in a pot and let simmer all afternoon until you’re ready to grab a bowl. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. Not to mention it gives me an excuse to dive into a hunky loaf of fresh bread.
This month I’d thought I’d offer up one such stew that was enjoyed by my entire family. Even the two year old gobbled it up and asked for more. The long cooking time of this dish makes the hunks of pork literally fall apart like butter. I could have seriously eaten the entire bucket of it myself. Just me, a fork, a napkin and a cold winter’s day.
To make this delicious bowl of hearty goodness, you’ll begin by browning up a pound of cubed pork. You don’t need fancy meat for this. Just have your butcher chunk a bit off the shoulder or butt and pass it your way.
Now toss in a few tomatillos, an onion and some garlic.
Cook it for a couple more minutes and then we’ll really start getting delicious with a quick white wine deglaze.
Add in a few hearty glugs of chicken broth next followed by some choice spices.
Round the recipe out with the addition of three medium sized potatoes, roughly chopped.
Cover that pot of goodness and keep yourself busy for the next four hours (peeking inside the pot is absolutely allowed) until you’re ready to sit yourself down to sup.
Snag a bowl big enough to wrap your mitts around and fill it to the top with the winter inspired goodness. Dollop a healthy spoonful of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro over the top.
Six more weeks of winter? I say bring it on.
This post is being shared over at MSN’s Kitchen Cookoff. Be sure to drop by and show a little love!
Pork and Tomatillo Stew
Yield: About 8 Hearty One Cup Servings
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 Pd Cubed Pork (Pork Shoulder or Butt works well)
3 Tbsp Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
5 Tomatillos, Roughly Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Cup White Wine
1 3/4 Cup Chicken Stock
11/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chile Pepper
1 Small Bunch Fresh Oregano
1 4.5 Oz. Can Diced Green Chiles
3 Russet Potatoes, Roughly Chopped
Salt To Taste
Directions:
Add the flour, salt and pepper to a bag or bowl and toss the pork in until completely coated.
Heat the oil on medium high in a large dutch oven and toss in the meat to sear.
Cook for a minute or two to brown the outsides and then add in the tomatillos, onion and garlic.
Cook for another couple minutes and then pour in the white wine.
Deglaze the pan and then add in the chicken stock.
Add in the spices and the green chiles.
Finally, add in the potatoes.
Turn heat down to low and simmer, covered, for the next 4 hours. You can also toss the mixture into a slow cooker at this point and cook it on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Salt to taste and serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.
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I’m putting these ingredients on my shopping list for Sunday dinner! The flavor combination just screams something we would love!
This year winter has showed its teeth here in Greece too! We do not have a Puxatawny Phil here but I suspect from looking my shadow that winter will last longer this year lol. I dream of summer too and summer in Greece is magical as you may well know, so I try to hope and dream. The stew on the other hand is a very practical and tasty way to endure the cold winter days ahead of us. It looks warm and inviting Julie!
I happen to be wearing my favorite skinny jeans and my favorite sweater at this exact moment. =) So I’m cool with a little more winter.
I have never tasted or cooked with tomatillos; you sure make it look tasty.
Rita
As someone who rarely gets to experience winter, I can tell you that it has a lot of positives! Here are some winter things I miss, so you can appreciate them:
Beautiful winter coats
Cute boots
Sweaters
Falling snow
Hot chocolate (I still drink it, but it ain’t the same in 80 degree weather)
Bundling up on the couch with a blanket
Not sweating
Fire in the fireplace
Knit caps
Enjoy!
Yum!
Yum! I love stew weather. We don’t get it often, so I have to take advantage of it when it happens.
winter is always a great time to pull out the stew recipes, looks delicious! I think it’s still going to be in the 20’s most of next week, so this will go on my menu, anne
Hi Julie,
Sorry I’ve been missing for a while. I hope you are doing well and enjoying the weekend. 🙂
I can sure do with a bowl of your pork and tomatillo stew right now. It looks so hearty and delicious! This year hasn’t been super, super cold but it sure isn’t summer weather. Soups and stews are just the best thing to tuck into to warm the belly and soul.
Cheers…Biren
the word ‘hearty’ comes to mind. ‘flavorful’ is there, too. nice way to battle the remainder of winter, julie!
Poor Phil. He must dread Groundhog Day…
This is a fantastic way to make the next 6 weeks pass though! Love that you can eat such hearty foods. Here in LA it just wouldn’t work with the balmy temps!
We had this last night for dinner and LOVED it!! I had to adjust the seasonings because my mom added in more cumin after I did but still delicious! Everyone in my family loved it!
What a hearty bowl of soup. I just love tomatillos, they’re not always easy to find where I am, but whenever I spot a few, I always add them to the cart. Yum!
Can’t wait to make this! Love your using the Harvest bowl – it is my Grandmother’s pattern of dishes! I have quite a few of this pattern dishes!