Kalua Pork

I was first introduced to this during my first trip to Hawai'i. There, a whole pig is cooked in an underground oven called an imu; you can read a VERY brief description of that process at https://www.paradisecove.com/build-an-imu/. 

Since my homeowner's association frowns on such things. I make mine in a slow cooker. It's very simple, and the smell of the pork cooking throughout the day is heavenly! 

Ingredients: 

• 1 pork shoulder, 3-5 lbs, boneless or bone-in, optionally cut into large chunks
• 1-2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp Hawaiian sea salt, if available, or kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp liquid smoke

Directions: 

1. Place the pork in the slow cooker. Add water, salt, and liquid smoke. 
2. Cook on LOW for 8-12 hours or until very tender. I generally try to get mine as close to 200F as I can. 
3. Turn heat off and let cool until it can be handled by hand. 
4. Shred pork, removing any major fatty chunks and bones.

Serve with/over rice or shredded cabbage. 

Mulligatawny Soup

This is a new recipe to me. A colleague shared it recently and it's already become one of my favorites, especially on a cold, blustery day. As with most soups & stews, it's even better the next day. 

Ingredients:

• 2.25 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced (1/4" - 1/2")
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced (1/4" - 1/2")
• 1.5 C of carrots, finely diced (1/4" - 1/2")
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cardamon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 cup red lentils
• 1 sweet potato or yellow potato, finely diced (1/4" - 1/2")
• 1 large Granny Smith or other sweet-tart apple, finely diced (1/4" - 1/2")

Accompaniments and garnishes:

• 2 cups cooked basmati rice 
• Greek yogurt for garnishing
• Chopped cilantro for garnishing

Directions: 

1. In a large pot, simmer the chicken thighs in water until fully cooked and temperature reaches 165 F. Remove the chicken thighs, saving the cooking water, and roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces. Add more water or chicken broth/stock to make 4 cups. Return the chicken to the pan. 

2. In a separate pan, melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and sweat them for 5-10 minutes until desired tenderness. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture to the chicken and stock. 

3. Add the remaining ingredients (turmeric through apple) to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer until lentils are cooked to desired tenderness, 5-10 minutes. 

4. Serve over basmati rice. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro.