After everyone’s enthusiastic response to my post about the slow-cooker, I was excited to start sharing some recipes! This one is super easy and it’s great for fall. It’s got pork, dried plums and apricots, and butternut squash.
I feel sort of bad about butternut squash. I’ve been throwing all my love at pumpkin, but BS is also a standout autumn food. It’s inexpensive, easy to prepare, and versatile. It also adds lovely color, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C to both sweet and savory dishes. I was excited to have a chance to use it!
Just a bit phallic, no?
Ingredients
One pound pork loin
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger or dried ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted dried plums
A 1.5 pound butternut squash
Method
First, have at the squash! Wash it and peel it.
Cut it in half lengthwise and scoop the seeds out with a spoon.
Cube it!
Combine the brown sugar, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and pepper.
Place pork in a slow cooker and coat evenly with the spice mixture.
Arrange squash, apricots, and plums around the pork.
Cover and cook on high for one hour; reduce heat to low and cook 6-7 hours until the pork, fruit, and squash are tender.
Serve pork with fruit and squash. (And….try to charge your camera before you do, if you plan on photographing it to share with the world. Sorry, guys.)
Trust me when I say it is SO yummy. I can’t believe how tender the pork gets in the cooker; it was shredded and falling into pieces. The ginger/cinnamon/sugar combo is good, the squash is creamy and tender, and the fruits are perfectly chewy! A very good fall staple that tastes way more complicated than it is!
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