Planning is for Adults

Tonight begins Project: Meg Cooks Like a Grown-up. The menu: slow cooker carnitas & delicata squash. The inadvertant theme: "quick" is in the...mind of the time-challenged. While both of these things involved minimal effort - and one was in a Crock-Pot, the modern originator of "the machine cooks it for you" - they both involved forethought and quite a lot of time. The Crock-Pot obviously does, although the assembly is about 10-15 minutes, tops. But if you're like me and can barely get out the door in time what with the clothing putting on and the coffee making and the whatnot, well, then, make it on a weekend. Being of the non-working variety, this was a Monday attempt for me. The delicata is also not very labor intensive, but does take about 30 minutes and needs tending, so can't really be put in and then left alone for 30 minutes. But once it's in, you can do the prep for the carnitas toppings and shred the meat, so it works out.

First up, carnitas. I might be the only person out there who hasn't made carnitas yet, so this seemed like a good thing to get in the repertoire. I mostly followed one recipe...but tweaked it based on another and then added a random fridge leftover. So, the end result is below (which shortcuts noted where possible), and aside from a deliciously fragrant house it was also super tasty. Not overwhelming but just snappy enough to perk up the evening. We did feel it needed a little kick, so the hot sauce was employed - but that can be optional. We added chopped avocado, a little sour cream and some flour tortillas, and it was creamy and tangy deliciousness. (The avocado was of course hard as a rock...October in the PacNW isn't exactly their time. It spent the afternoon snuggling with an apple in the Paper Bag Hotel, and the results were workable.) The original recipe suggested toppings of diced green chiles and carmelized onions. Neither of us is really into fiery hot food, so I scratched the chiles, and I wasn't feeling onions today but may try them out another time. 

Slow Cooker Carnitas

1 to 2 lbs pork shoulder roast (bone-in was on sale, but boneless should work just fine too - I shopped the sale).

Juice from one lime (or bottled lime juice, about two tablespoons)

3 cloves of garlic, minced (or about a heaping teaspoon of jarred crushed garlic)

2 tsp cumin (note: you'll need one tsp at a time, so keep that in mind if you're a mise en place kind of cook)

2 tsp chili powder (same as above - one tsp at a time)

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup of water, roughly

1 tsp olive oil (or enough to coat the pork lightly, plus another drizzle in the cooking liquid)

salt and pepper

Cut the pork shoulder in half and rub with olive oil. (Note: one recipe I read said to trim all the fat off - another said that the fat keeps it moist and tender. I opted to leave it on, and I don't feel like the end result was overly greasy. Your choice, though. Some recipes also recommended a quick sear first; neither of the most appealing ones did, so I didn't. Again, your call.) Create a rub of one teaspoon each of the cumin and chili powder, and rough as evenly as you can all over both oiled halves. Salt and pepper each, and put them in the slow cooker. 

Mix together the lime juice, water, Worcestershire, garlic, and remaining cumin and chili powder, and pour into the slow cooker. 

**If you're me, you can throw in a tiny bit of customizing here. I had one half of a red bell pepper leftover (why? how does this happen, this orphaned bit of produce?) and it needed to be used, so I diced it up and threw it in. Don't know how much difference it made in the end, since I don't know what it would have tasted like without said pepper, but it worked out. **

Turn on the slow cooker and set it to low, 7-8 hours, and go on about your day. When the time is up, pull out the pork, give it a couple minutes, and then shred it with two forks. It should come apart with no problems. You can pour some of the leftover liquid over it at this point. 

But wait! There's more! 

Remember the delicata squash? That happened. New ingredients for the win! I wasn't initially sure what direction to take - past squash experiences have usually involved butter and/or brown sugar, neither of which played a big role in the early research. But then I found this one, and it seemed simple enough and tweakable. So, I did. 

Roasted Delicata Squash

1 delicata squash

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Brown sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F, and line your dish of choice with foil. (Some recipes call for a baking sheet, some for a Pyrex, and given the juice and oil I went with Pyrex.) 

Wash the squash, and trim the ends - minimal trimming, mind you - and cut it in half lengthwise. Clean out the inside (squash novices: get rid of all the seeds and strings and etc - just the flesh should remain), and slice each half across the ridges into half-rings, roughly half an inch thick. In a bowl, pour the olive oil over them and toss to coat. Salt and pepper them, and again - toss to coat. Plop them on the foiled sheet/pan/dish in a single layer, and slide that bad boy into the oven. After 15 minutes, take them out and flip them over. At this point, if you want to go the brown sugar route (which, to be clear, is optional - but why wouldn't you?) this is the time to sprinkle it, LIGHTLY, over the squash. You don't want a big gooey mess, just a little extra carmelizing. Then pop them back in for 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your over runs and how crispy you want them. They're done when they're soft, but you can go further if you want. Just keep an eye on them.