Roasted Pork and Persimmons

I have just stumbled upon a most delightful fruit, the persimmon.

I was totally unfamiliar with them and saw them in the grocery store and thought, why not?  I should give these weird tomato-looking things a try.  

Persimmons are widely available September through December, with a peak during November.

Choose persimmons with deep red undertones. Look for persimmons that are round, plump, and have glossy and smooth skin. Avoid fruits with blemishes, bruises or cracked skin and missing the green leaves at the top. Select ripe persimmons only if you plan to eat them immediately. Otherwise, buy firmer fruits and allow them to ripen.

Ripen persimmons at room temperature in a paper bag with an apple or banana. Store them in the refrigerator when ripe. Be sure to eat the fruit as soon as possible because overripe persimmons quickly turn to a mushy texture.

Ripe Fuyu persimmons, which look kind of like flattened tomatoes, will be crisp, while the acorn-shaped Hachiyas will be very soft and juicy.

Unripe Hachiya persimmons taste very bitter and will suck all the moisture from your mouth — not very pleasant. The tartness will go away as the fruit ripens.

They kind of have a texture like apples and are sweet.  I thought they would be a nice compliment to pork.

Ingredients:

pork tenderloin

4 ripe persimmons

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

white wine

Directions:

Cut off stem of persimmon and peel and quarter the fruit.  Put in bottom of slow cooker and just cover with white wine. 

Put pork on top and cover with all spices.

Place a layer of aluminum foil over pork and then put lid on top.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Pork should shred up and persimmons should cook down into a nice sauce to serve with the meat.

Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic

I know what you’re thinking.  40 cloves of garlic?!?!?!!  I know that vampires have been the in thing lately, but isn’t this a little TOO much insurance?  Won’t my breath demolish anyone I meet for a week after eating this? 

Never fear.  The garlic cooks down in this slow cooker dish, so it is no longer potent and overwhelming. 

Ingredients:

3 lbs of chicken (this could be a whole butchered chicken, a chicken you butcher yourself, breasts only, etc.)

5 heads of garlic (yes, the ENTIRE head)

1 lb bacon

white wine or chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

 

Directions:

Cut bacon into inch wide chunks.  Brown in a pan.  Set bacon aside.  Put about 1 tbs of the bacon grease in the bottom of the crock pot.

Separate out all the cloves of garlic from the heads.  Smash them with the flat side of your Chinese cleaver to easily remove the paper.  Put all cloves in the bottom of the crock pot.

Pour in either white wine or chicken stock to barely cover the garlic.  (Note, if you use stock, I would also add in 2 tbs of lemon juice to help brighten up the flavor)

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme over the garlic. 

Put chicken on top of the garlic.  Put bacon on top of chicken

Place a layer of Aluminum foil over the crock pot and THEN the lid.  This will keep the steam from escaping and you from running out of liquid.

If you cook at low, this should take about 7-8 hours.

If you cook at high, this should take about 4 hours.

Once done, pull out chicken and bacon and set aside.  Pour liquid and garlic into a blender (or use your stick blender) to puree into a delicious sauce.  Pour over chicken and serve!

My Infamous Paleo Chili

I make a huge pot of chili and eat it for a few days (or freeze some in quart ziplocs to thaw out as fast food. Chili is my favorite. It’s a great comfort food and this one is popular with the guys as it is very meaty.

2 lbs lean ground beef (I look for 90/10)
1 large steak cut into chunks (or stew meat, whatever you prefer)
1 large can crushed tomatoes (look for the one where the only ingredient is tomatoes)
1 can diced tomatoes and chilis (again, look for natural here)
1 small can tomatillo salsa (in the Mexican food aisle, look for natural ingredients in this…I think the brand starts with an E)
large onion diced
1/8 cup almond flour (this is optional for thickening, omit if you have a nut allergy)
about 2 cups of beef broth
3 cloves garlic minced or about
2 tsp garlic powder1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbs ground cumin
3-4 tbs chili powder
olive oil

Put about 2 tbs olive oil in a pan and get it screaming hot. Sear the chunks of steak in batches (don’t crowd or it won’t brown). It doesn’t have to be cooked at this point, just brown and pull it out. Add a little more oil if needed and add diced onion to kind of brown a bit. Add the beef stock and let it cook until it is reduced by half (this gives a really meaty base). Add in ground beef and almond flour. Stir until it browns a bit. Add garlic, spices, tomatoes, and steak chunks. Simmer on low heat for a couple of hours. It gets better the longer it cooks.

I serve with diced red onion on top. It’s good without it too.