Slow Cooker Pork and Olive casserole

 

One of the recipes I based the below on added smoked paprika, lemon juice, zest and parsley. It was more than fine without but might try adding one or more next time

Lightly dry fry 100g sliced chorizo (release a bit of oil, don't get anywhere near crispy) in a frying pan. Add to slow cooker pot leaving the oil in the frying pan. Top up the oil in the frying pan with a bit of olive oil and brown outside of 500g cubed pork shoulder/leg in batches. Remove and put into slow cooker pot leaving oil. Gently fry 1 chopped onion and two cloves garlic in the oil until starting to soften. Add to slow cooker pot.

To the slow cooker pot add a tin of tomatoes and enough chicken stock to nearly cover the pork. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. 

Then add 100g rinsed green olives and a drained tin of chickpeas and salt and pepper. Cook for a further hour (basically heating the olives and chickpeas).

Couscous is a good accompaniment 

Moroccan Chicken and Olives

Lunch in the garden in the sun (yes some actual sun) with friends yesterday. A day later and I am writing this in front of the first log fire of autumn. Don't think I would have moved far today even if it was sunny again as we declared the early start of celebrations for a certain birthday yesterday evening and enjoyed, between two of us, the best bottle of red wine we've had this year -  a 2004 premiere cru Chateau Sant Augustin from Tunisia. Thank you Wilma and Paul! ..... I probably should add that we did also treat ourselves to a prefectly cooked, aged piece of fillet beef to accompany the wine.

Based on this recipe from Jenny Morris the below was enough for 6 adults with not much left over. Serve on a bed of plain cous cous and a green salad. A simple Balsamic and olive oil salad dressing did give a needed hint of sweetness.


4 packs of skinned, boned, chicken thigh (between 16 and 20 actual thighs) cut into large bite size chunks and season well with pepper

2 inches fresh ginger finely chopped
8 cloves garlic roughly chopped (NOT crushed)

2 bunches of spring onions, including tops, cut into shortish lengths (I'm talking cutting into four the short thin spring onions we get in the UK - otherwise roughly chop about 8)
330g jar of pitted green olives in brine drained and halved.
2 medium sized preserved lemons finely chopped (I used 3, and should have used 4, from the jar I had. Think about the size of fresh lemons and guage from there)
2 oz butter and 2 tbsp rapeseed oil cold pressed if you have it

Herbs - chopped:

4 tbsps fresh coriander

4 tbsps flat-leaf parsley

4 tbsps dill (or 3 tbsps fennel leaves)

4 tbsps mint

4 tbsps chives

4 tbsps basil

Fry the chicken thighs in oil in batches - 5 minutes for each batch. For the last two batches include the ginger and garlic.[Put each cooked batch into a large pan, or flame proof casserole dish, that is on a low heat]

Turn up the heat under the pan with the chicken in it and add the spring onions, olives, preserved lemon, butter and oil. Cook for a further 5 minutes stirring frequently.

Stit in the herbs, remove from the heat and leave for 5 minutes for the flavours of the herbs to infuse This happens to be the amount of time it takes to prepare the cous-cous. More than 5 minutes will not harm by any means!


Serve on a bed of plain cous cous and a green salad. From my point of view, a simple Balsamic and olive oil salad dressing did give a needed hint of sweetness.