wrapping up gardening season … Confetti Pork Stew

Every year I tend a small plot in a community garden not far from my house. I coddle and baby it all summer long and am usually rewarded with an abundance of something as well as a complete failure of something else. It’s always a learning experience. As September moves into October and fades into November, my interest and enthusiasm wanes a little with the season. It’s cooler and rain is more frequent so I don’t have to worry about wilting or watering like I do in the hot summer months. The plants still produce, especially the tomatoes which don’t seem to realize it will snow in a few weeks, but do slow down as the days get shorter. At this point, I just let it do its thing. In early November when it’s time to shut down for the winter and put the plot to bed, I throw anything remaining in a bag and deal with it back home. This final harvest usually contains greens, big bunches of green herbs, the string beans which seem to peak the day I have to clear everything out and a surprising amount of cherry tomatoes in all shades, mostly unripe green.

Sometimes I pickle the green ones but last year I decided to throw a lot of my final harvest into a stew and deal with all it at once. That’s how this recipe came about; I had a bunch of cherry tomatoes in various stages of ripeness, a lot of tomatillos, a few miscellaneous hot peppers and a bell pepper that was bordering on droopy. I pulled a pack of pork out of the freezer that I’d cut up for kebabs, scraps from a butchering project, and rounded up a few more things. I pulled out my big red Le Creuset pot and got to work.

After searing the pork, into the pot went the bulk of my final harvest – the tomatoes, the tomatillos, the chillies, and then a whole white onion and ½ of a red one I found in the crisper, garlic and some spices. An hour or two over a low flame did the trick, made the pork meltingly tender and the vegetables soft and juicy. With some warm tortillas, I had a dinner really worth something. Because it was a big mess of colors and ingredients, I called it “Confetti Stew”. For reasons lost to time, I never wrote about it last year but now as closing day approaches yet again, it’s time to get out the big red Le Creuset. After all, one can only pickle so much.

This recipe is incredibly versatile if, like me, you find yourself breaking down your summer garden and end up with a lot of stuff that needs a purpose. Throw it all in there – the red, yellow and even green tomatoes, including any straggler cherry tomatoes. Have a lot of peppers? Hot or sweet, throw them in.  Do you have half an onion hanging around that is a few hours from seeing better days? Of course you do. Into the pot. If you prefer beef, use that or chicken or just go all vegetable. Use the recipe as a baseline and go for it.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: SWEET RELEIF. Fresh vegetables stress me out at times. How ironic is that? Right now I have the bulk of my purchases from this mornings farmer’s market sitting on the counter, slowly wilting, knowing I have to make room in my overcrowded refrigerator and then, THEN, figure out what to do with them. The need to use and do something interesting before they go bad is a hell of a lot of pressure at times. When you have a garden, it can become overwhelming because the stuff just keeps coming. And coming. And coming. The end of the season can be a bit of a boon and yet a bit melancholy too. I’m sad that it will be a long 8 months before I’ll be enjoying a harvest again but I’ll also have a few very large bags of stuff that will need to be dealt with immediately. That’s why I love this stew; it really makes a dent in that abundance in the most delicious way. It is it’s very own stress reliever.

Eight years ago: Lattice Love, Lessons in Pie Crust
Seven years ago: Radishes, Butter, Sea Salt, Roasted Beets w/Whipped Goat Cheese
Six years ago: Concord Grape Pie & Purple Cow Pie Shakes
Five years ago: Kale & Squash Salad
Four years ago: Muhammara – the best sauce you’ve never heard of
Three years ago: Whole Wheat English Muffins
Two years ago: Simple Pear Tart
Last year: Finnish Pulla (Finnish Cardamom Braid)

CONFETTI PORK STEW
Serves 6
This recipe is incredibly flexible. Have green chilies? Add them. Like it spicer? Increase the serranos or add some jalapenos. Like peppers? Add some more. Is your garden exploding? Add it all. Any type of meat works too but if you opt for chicken, throw it in toward the end and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.

Olive oil
1 ½ pounds pork stew meat, 1- 1 ½” cubes
1 ½ large onions, diced (red, white or yellow)
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced (red, yellow, orange or green)
2 serrano chilies, halved then thinly sliced with seeds (red or green)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound tomatillos, chopped
1 pound miscellaneous tomatoes, diced if large (leave any cherry tomatoes whole)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Pat the pork cubes dry with a few paper towels.
2. In a large heavy saucepan, heat a few Tablespoons of olive oil over medium high and sear the pork on all sides until golden brown. Do in batches in a single layer – do not crowd the pan. As one batch is browned, remove to a plate and continue with the remaining pork.
3. To the empty pan still over medium high, add the chopped onions, bell and serrano peppers; sauté until lightly browned and starting to soften. If the pan is a little dry, add some more olive oil.
4. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute
5. Add the chopped tomatillos, tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and cinnamon; add the pork and any accumulated juices and stir to combine.
6. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, slightly covered, until the vegetables have broken down and are softly melting and the pork is tender, about 2 hours. Keep an eye on the pan – the tomatoes will create liquid but if the pan becomes too dry, add a bit of chicken stock or water.
7. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
8. Serve hot with warm tortillas.
9. If you have any leftovers, the stew freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.