Late Dinners

Last week, I was in a deeply autumnal mood. This meant hearty things, autumn-colored food, and at least one use of the slow cooker and/or dutch oven. This slow cooker thing is new to me - I haven't owned a full size one previously, but EPF came with one - so I'm making the most of it. As I was flailing about for ideas I remembered that on Facebook recently my friend Johnny had shared his split pea soup recipe, and as it fit all the criteria, I gave it a whirl. EPF was pretty fond of it - I was too, although I wasn't sure going in. I haven't had split pea in a very, very long time so couldn't even remember what it was actually supposed to taste like, making this a experiment on many levels. It worked out deliciously, though. I may play with the variety of meat in my next batch - the andouille gave it a great kick, so I'd leave most of it, but we've been getting this amazing smoky bacon from the awesome new butcher in our neighborhood - maybe a few slices of that in place of one of the andouille links, to see what that flavor does.

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.