Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Slow Cooker is God - Pasta w/ Slow-Cooker Pork Ragu














 Well it's been a little while since I've been on here...and I'm determined to not fall off again. Who wants to be a failure!?!?

I've been busy...I went down to San Antonio last week to work on a demo for a potential television project...that basically means we produced a 5-ish minute video to give the network an idea of what a show/series could look like. I have to give a shout out to Blue Star Brewing Company. The owners were kind enough to let us film a little scene in their eclectic space. When we walked in, a giant bus was just about to leave for the Spurs game...how can you not like a place that lets you drink and then offers a bus ride over to the game?! They have a main bar/dining area, a well-sized back room, and an upstairs balcony, where we filmed, decked with bicycles hanging from the walls.

The scene was great, but the food was delicious. They make their own beer, obviously. And even me, a girl who prefers a riesling to beer any day, was delightfully surprised. I had an awesome pale ale. It was bright, crisp, and extremely refreshing. We ordered a bite to eat after filming, just some hummus and mac and cheese aps. Both amazing. We added pork to our mac and cheese. And left that meal soooo happy :)

Thanks again to everyone at Blue Star Brewing Company!


Onwards and forwards, a while back, I re-discovered my slow cooker. I mean, I know it's there, but it's all the way up there, sitting on top of our cupboards, above the fridge. So far away. I hardly ever use it. And then I determine to make something that requires it. I begrudgingly climb to the top of my fridge and pull it down, and then realize what I've been missing. Slow cooker is God.

The amazing thing about the slow cooker is that it really doesn't have to be exact. You don't HAVE to take it out after exactly 5 1/2 hours. In fact, I let this cook on high for about 6 1/2 hours and only took it off when I came back from teaching bodypump. And it was AWESOME. And it's the easiest way to prepare fall off the bone pork.

I made this pasta w/ slow-cooker pork ragu from Real Simple. It was so good, we actually finished all of the leftovers, despite making a ton and a half of it. This is a great spaghetti alternative to mix things up. I suggest you pull down your slow cooker and make this tonight....well, this afternoon so it has time to sit in your slow cooker :)



TRT: 5 1/4 - 8 1/4 hours

Ingredients:
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed and cut in half
  • 3/4 pound fettuccine
  • grated Parmesan, for serving














 In your slow cooker, combine the carrot, onion, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the tomatoes and their juices. Add the pork and turn to coat. 

 












Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, on low for 7-8 hours or high for 5-6 hours. 

 












Twenty minutes before serving, cook the fettuccine according to the package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and mix it into the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta w/ the ragu and sprinkle with some Parmesan.

Enjoy!




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