http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x55886Oh my, how easy it is for the primitives to get dizzy in a dither.
intheflow (1000+ posts) Mon Feb-09-09 11:56 PM
Original message
I have a pound of pork stew meet and company coming on Saturday.
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!
Lucinda (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:08 AM
Response to Original message
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:23 AM
Response to Reply #1
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:30 AM
Response to Reply #2
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.
Touchy, touchy, the inflowing primitive.
The empressof all (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:50 AM
Response to Reply #4
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:57 AM
Response to Reply #6
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!
Oh, and not Muslim. Lapsed Catholics, and barely that!
Touchy, touchy.
The Rita Hayworth primitive:
Tangerine LaBamba (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 10:50 AM
Response to Reply #4
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 10:56 AM
Response to Reply #14
16. "Pork meet"
Sometimes spell check isn't my friend!
My friend's a lapsed Catholic. No dietary restrictions.
Touchy, touchy.
intheflow (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:28 AM
Response to Reply #1
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!
Lucinda (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 01:09 AM
Response to Reply #3
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.
The Rita Hayworth primitive again:
Tangerine LaBamba (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 10:52 AM
Response to Reply #3
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 11:04 AM
Response to Reply #15
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.
Uh oh. That does it now, this violation of franksolich's rule #14.
While it's okay for decent and civilized people to make fun of Grandma, the warped primitive, the cboy4 primitive, the Kali primitive, the cuckoo clock primitive, the Rita Hayworth primitive, &c., &c., &c.--all of them second-tier primitives, it's NOT okay for primitives to make fun of them, especially if lesser primitives.
One doesn't put down one's betters.
The inflowing primitive just made it to franksolich's excresence list.
franksolich's rule #14.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:38 AM
Response to Original message
5. a pound of meat for how many people?
that would be a good thing to know up front.
intheflow (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 12:59 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. There will be three of us.
I'm thinking a pound of meat should be sufficient.
grasswire (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 01:14 AM
Response to Reply #8
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.
The inflowing primitive's just tight, using a mere pound of meat.
Perhaps the inflowing primitive hopes to emulate Chief S itting Bull, the bird-smacking stoned red-faced primitive, when he fed the multitudes two Thanksgivings ago, on the modern-day equivalent of six loaves and two fishes.
flamin lib (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 01:59 AM
Response to Original message
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 (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 07:10 AM
Response to Reply #11
12. Or use hollowed out bread for the stew bowls?
intheflow (1000+ posts) Tue Feb-10-09 10:59 AM
Response to Reply #12
17. The bread bowl sounds like a great idea!
Yeah, yeah.
If the Rita Hayworth primitive had suggested it, the inflowing primitive would've hated it. Lesser primitives are that way.
