Aunt Ethel's Cuban Stew

One of the things I love the most about fall is the wonderful stews, soups and chili recipes that brings warmth to the soul and puts a smile in the tummy.  These recipes are great for feeding a crowd or those days when the schedule does not allow a lot of time in the kitchen.  They can easily be prepared for the Crockpot, the flavors meld with the slow simmering, and their aromas are a great welcome home after a hectic day. 

One of my favorites is my Cuban Stew.  I originally found this recipe in a copy of Cooking Light many years ago. It has become a recurring favorite among my family and friends.  As with all my recipes, I use them as a foundation and add my little twist to them.  One of the things I love about this particular stew is it breaks the boredom of the standard beef stew and allows the wonderful flavors of pork, cumin, and plantains to be introduced to my family’s palette. Not to mention that all the ingredients are fresh and the meat is lean making it diet friendly, if you overlook the tablespoon of butter. The wonderful colors of the peppers brings fall to your table.

When shopping for the ingredients, especially the pork, I will pick a pork loin and ask the butcher to trim the fat and cut it into stew meat.  Plantains are a cross between a potato and banana.  They lend their starch as a thickening agent while providing a sweet banana flavor when at their peak of being ripe.  This is often indicated by the brown-black color of their skin.   

You will need one stock pot, large pan for sautéing, and a cutting board.  If you have to cut your own stew meat, be sure to clean and disinfect your cutting board before chopping your vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 lb  pork stew meat with fat trimmed

1 Sweet Onion chopped

4  Roma tomatoes quartered

1 medium yellow pepper  

1 medium orange pepper  

1 medium green pepper  

1 jalapeno pepper  (do not substitute with pickled or canned)

1 Cup Cooking Sherry or Dry Sherry

1 ½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt or sea salt

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 (14 ounce) can Vegetable broth

1 packet Swanson or Knorr beef seasoning  (found next to broth in grocery store)

2 Cups sliced plantains (1/2 inch slices) – set aside

 Preparation:

In the stockpot add vegetable broth, sherry and seasonings, bring to a soft boil, reduce heat, and cover.  In a large pan combine butter and olive oil over medium heat.  Do not to allow butter to turn brown.  Brown pork on all sides and add to stockpot. Sautee’ all fresh vegetables, except  the plantains, until tender.  Combine sautéed vegetables and plantains to stockpot.  Add any remaining liquid from large pan to stockpot. 

Stove top: Simmer for 30 minutes and serve.

 Crockpot:  Follow preparation steps and combine stock and ingredients into Crockpot.   Cook on low for 4 to 8 hours.

Serves 4 to 6 people.  Garnish with fresh parsley.  Serve with warm bakery loaf of bread.