Pork and Sweet Potato Stew

(This is a guest post by Maria Rainier)

I’ve seen some recipes for beef and sweet potato stew, but I wasn’t sure what I thought about the combination of savory meet and sweet potatoes. It sounds like a great idea – sweet potatoes are wonderful in the winter because you can still get local organic ones in most places – but I love cinnamon with sweet potatoes, and not so much with beef. I decided to try making a stew with pork instead, plus a few extra goodies to make it unique and flavorful. I’ve included my favorite variation of the recipe below and hope that you enjoy it on a cold evening as much as I do.

Ingredients:
• 1 lb. lean boneless pork shoulder cut into one-inch cubes
• 3 large sweet potatoes, cubed (I leave them unpeeled)
• 10 dried apricots, halved
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 8-oz. can tomatoes
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 cup white wine

Preparation
Place the sweet potatoes, apricots, apples, onion, and tomatoes in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Sprinkle on the spices, adding the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Top this with the pork cubes and pour the apple juice and wine over the other ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, checking to make sure that the meat and vegetables are tender.

Review:
This hearty stew showcases the flavors of pork, onion and tomato, but it also includes the warm tastes of fruit, sweet potato and cinnamon. It’s festive and perfect for December when everyone just wants to wind down with a bowl of something hot and flavorful. The combination of sweet and savory may be subjective, but my family and I enjoy the unique twist and the ability to taste the flavor of the sweet potatoes. They’re a favorite at our house and this stew is a great way to experience them as something other than a side or dessert.

Servings: 4-5

Rating: 4 stars

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education, where recently she’s been researching different types of mechanical engineering degrees and blogging about student life. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

Thanks Maria!  This looks great.
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