Drunken Solar Pork and Chick Pea Stew

There was about 1/2 cup of ale left over from the bottle my son-in-law gave me and I decided to use it in a stew. And, there was this new vegetable just begging to become a part of my repertoire, the Jicama, a South American legume that grows on vines up to 20 feet! They have a nice smooth texture, but little taste, which means they'll fit in to lots of recipes. The end result was great and the Jicama kept its crunch, adding a wonderful texture to the stew. This is a two-part preparation recipe, but the end result is so worth it that I hope you'll give it a try.

I used dried garbanzos (chick peas) and prepared them by soaking overnight and cooking in fresh salted water for about an hour. The finished chick peas were set aside until needed for the stew. Because there were so many ingredients, I did a small mise en place so that I didn't forget anything. And, though lots had to be chopped, using the ingredients left little time between additions.

Chopped veggies, in order of addition, right to left, because my
stove is to the right of my island. (Not shown, spices, herbs, or
 pork loin.)

Ingredients: 1.35# lean pork loin, 3/4 tsp.ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp anise, 2 Tbsps parsley, 1 Tbsp AP flour, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 1/2 cup dark ale, 10 ozs chick peas, plus following chopped vegetables: 2 chili peppers, 1 cup small cubed Jicama, 1 large onion, 3 cloves elephant garlic (or 5-6 regular cloves), 2 large carrots, 2 large tomatoes, 2 celery sticks (sliced) .

Directions: In large heavy sauce pan over low heat, roast spices until aromas start to rise. Put flour in plastic bag, add roasted spices and shake until well blended. Pour olive oil in saucepan and increase heat to med-high. Dump cubed pork into plastic bag and shake until totally coated. When oil is hot, add pork and brown all pieces, cooking for approximately 7 minutes.

Move cooked meat to sides of pan and add onions, garlic, carrots, peppers, celery, and 1/2 each of chicken stock and ale; stir to mix thoroughly, cover, and let cook for approximately 8 minutes.  Remove cover and add tomatoes and Jicama. Bring to a boil, then pour into casserole dish, cover, and bake in solar oven for approximately 1.5 hours.

Remove cover and add chick peas and 1/2 the parsley. Cover and return to oven for an additional ten minutes.

Serve with balance of parsley used as garni or a trio of very thin cucumber slices. Serious comfort food.  The blend of the ale and chicken stock was wonderful and I'm delighted to find another way to use my son-in-law's product. I love to drink it, too; but, this is a bonus.