I love soups, stews, and basically anything you can eat out of a bowl. They’re healthy, usually require only one pot and very minimal hands-on time, and can often be made without a trip to the grocery store. You just throw everything together and let it cook, the longer the better. The problem with working 12+ hours a day is there’s very little time to let things, well, stew.
Enter the crock pot. I inherited one from my mother-in-law a few years ago, and am slowly realizing how great a solution it is to my time shortage issue. Plus, coming home to the aroma of intense flavors that have been simmering all day is a wonderful antidote to the trials of intern year.
I recently came across Real Simple magazine’s post on their most-pinned slow-cooker recipes. This black bean soup recipe caught my eye. Raised half Hindu and half Jewish, cooking pork is something I know very little about. But this recipe was pretty persuasive in its simplicity so I decided to give it a try. It turns out navigating the pork section of the grocery store was the hardest part. I found the final flavor a little overwhelmingly hoppy (then again I don’t like hops) and one-dimensional in its flavor, so I added a few spices and reduced the beer. The end result was perfectly hearty, but not too rich for a nice end-of-the-weekend meal. The husband even had seconds.
Enter the crock pot. I inherited one from my mother-in-law a few years ago, and am slowly realizing how great a solution it is to my time shortage issue. Plus, coming home to the aroma of intense flavors that have been simmering all day is a wonderful antidote to the trials of intern year.
I recently came across Real Simple magazine’s post on their most-pinned slow-cooker recipes. This black bean soup recipe caught my eye. Raised half Hindu and half Jewish, cooking pork is something I know very little about. But this recipe was pretty persuasive in its simplicity so I decided to give it a try. It turns out navigating the pork section of the grocery store was the hardest part. I found the final flavor a little overwhelmingly hoppy (then again I don’t like hops) and one-dimensional in its flavor, so I added a few spices and reduced the beer. The end result was perfectly hearty, but not too rich for a nice end-of-the-weekend meal. The husband even had seconds.
Beer-braised pork and black bean soup
1 large onion, diced1 lb dried black beans
1 chopped chipotle en adobo with 1 T adobo sauce
1 t chili powder
1 t cumin
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 bottle beer (I used an IPA but a lager would probably work better)
1.5 lbs pork shoulder
2-3 cups water
1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Set on high for 5 hours.
2. Pull apart pork, discard fat and bones. Add more water as needed/desired (I tend to like a thicker soup but it could be watered down more).
3. Serve with a dash of lime juice, a dollop of sour cream (we used plain Greek yogurt, almost always just as good and it definitely is here), and cilantro and cheese as desired. Serve with a nice crusty bread. Or tortillas.
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