This stew could have been a labour of love – that is until you busted out the slow cooker. Top it off with chilli polenta dumplings to make it even more special.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1kg diced pork scotch (neck) or leg
- 1 red onion, halved, sliced
- 2 red capsicums, cut into 3cm pieces
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup Massel beef stock
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 410g can chopped tomatoes with paste
- 300g can red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, plus extra to serve
Chilli polenta dumplings
- 1 cup self-raising flour
- 1/2 cup polenta
- 1 long red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup milk
- 50g butter, melted
Equipment
- 5.5-litre slow cooker
Method
- Step 1Heat 1/2 the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook pork, in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until browned all over. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Step 2Heat remaining oil in pan. Add onion, capsicum and celery. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until vegetables just start to soften. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli, bay leaf, pepper and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add to slow cooker. Stir in stock, sugar and tomatoes. Cover. Cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 6 hours).
- Step 3Discard bay leaf. Stir in beans and oregano.
- Step 4Make Chilli Polenta Dumplings; Combine flour, polenta and chilli in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Make a well. Add milk and butter. Mix well to combine. Roll level tablespoons of mixture into balls.
- Step 5Place dumplings on top of pork mixture. Cover. Cook on high for 1 hour or until dumplings double in size and are cooked through. Remove lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until top of dumplings are dry. Serve stew and dumplings with extra oregano.
- High fibre
- Low carb
- Lower gi
Nutrition
2618 kj
Energy
29.6g
Fat Total
11.3g
Saturated Fat
8.1g
Fibre
43.3g
Protein
98mg
Cholesterol
624mg
Sodium
43g
Carbs (total)
Notes
Don’t have a slow-cooker? Follow these directions for cooking on the stovetop:
Using a large heavy-based saucepan, follow step 1, transferring pork to a bowl. Follow step 2, adding an extra 1 cup beef stock. Return pork to pan. Cover. Bring to the boil. Cook on low heat for 2 hours. Remove lid. Cook for 1 hour or until sauce thickens and pork is tender. Follow steps 3 and 4. Follow step 5. Cover. Cook for 30 minutes or until dumplings double in size. Remove lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.
- Author: Kim Coverdale
- Image credit: Andrew Young
- Publication: Super Food Ideas