harvest stew

this hearty meal is an excellent way to celebrate the bounty of the autumn harvest. some of the ingredients may seem a little strange, but trust me, the finished product is quite delicious.

harvest stew

 

1 1/2 lbs pork

1 1/2 cups of flour seasoned with 1/2 tsp each: dried sage, salt, pepper, allspice

3 tbs olive oil

1 acorn or butternut squash

2-3 potatoes

2-3 carrots

2 apples

handful of mushrooms

1 cup apple cider or juice

3 cups chicken stock

water to cover

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup dried cranberries

cut pork and vegetables into 1 inch cubes. dredge pork in seasoned flour. coat the bottom of a large pot (the bigger the better) with olive oil (2-3 tbs should do) sear the flour coated pork over medium high heat. remove pork, set aside and add the squash cubes to the pot, season with salt and pepper. saute for 3 minutes then add potatoes and carrots, season. saute 3 more minutes and add apples and mushrooms. pour apple sauce over the veggies to deglaze the pan (make sure you use you spoon to sort of scrape up the flavorful bits on the bottom of the pot), then add the pork back to the pot. add chicken stock and water to cover. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. add dried cranberries just before serving.

sidenote: if you anticipate a lot of leftovers (as i always do) you might want to leave the cranberries our of the pot and simply add them to the bowl as you serve the stew. they get a weird texture when heated, then refrigerated. i don't know why, that's just the way it is.