Winter Stew Need Not Take A Lot Of Prep Time

Winter stew simmers on the stove for hours, filling the kitchen with a tempting aroma while everyone relaxes and passes the time. This is as likely a scenario as sitting down to a luscious, fat-free hot fudge sundae.

While everyone craves the deep, rich taste of a dish that is slowcooked over a low fire, it’s impossible to devote the effort to it on a weeknight. That doesn’t mean that a steady menu of sauteed chicken breast is the only alternative. A compromise is possible.

Instead of using tough meat cuts that will only improve with stewing, start with a more tender, though more expensive meat. Use vegetables cut into small pieces for faster cooking and increase the spices so the flavors come together quicker.

Winter Pork Stew uses pork tenderloin, sweet potato and apple in a delicious and hearty stew that goes from start to finish in less than 45 minutes. Serve it plain or with Almond Rice which cooks while the pork does.

In the time it takes for the other half of Two’s Company to shovel the afternoon’s accumulation of snow, you can have a dish with oldfashioned taste on the table.

Winter Pork Stew

1 tablespoon butter

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups (1/2 to 3/4 pound) pork tenderloin cubes (see Note)

2 tablespoons flour

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

5 crushed peppercorns

1 cup chicken broth

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 medium apple, cored, cut into 1-inch cubes (see note)

cup golden raisins

Salt

Almond Rice (recipe follows)

Melt butter in large skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute, stirring, 2 minutes. Dust pork with flour and add to skillet. Brown pork on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon stick, curry powder, ginger and peppercorns and saute 1 minute.

Add chicken broth and stir up browned bits in skillet. Add sweet potato and apple. Stir well. Cover and simmer until pork and potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Five minutes before cooking is done, add raisins and simmer, covered, 5 minutes longer. Remove cinnamon stick. Season to taste with salt. Serve over Almond Rice.

Yield: 2 servings.

Note: If desired, substitute 4 small boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the pork. If apples are thick-skinned, such as Granny Smith, peel. Thinskinned Gala apples can be cooked with skin on, or as preferred.

Almond Rice

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

3/4 cup converted rice

1 cups chicken broth

Salt, white pepper

Melt butter in medium pan. Add almonds and saute over medium heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in rice and broth. Bring to boil, stirring once. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, 18 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: 2 servings.

ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Bev Bennett is food editor of the Chicago Sun-Times and author of four cookbooks.