We Have An Italian Greyhound Mix - Slow Cooker Italian Pork Stew In Honor Of Kagan

Thank you for taking me home.

Our darling puppy is named Kagan, after the Supreme Court Associate Justice Elena. We adopted her from a really scary shelter, and nursed her through kennel cough and suspected (but never proved) parvovirus. She is doing just great now, although with a lingering cough, and she runs the legs off all the other small dogs at the dog park. Plus she's quite a looker, so almost everyone stops to worship at the Altar of Her Beauty.

Kill the gator, kill the gator, kill the gator!!!

She is all puppy, at about 7 months of age. She loves to play, walk, run, stretch, chase balls, chew things and most of all, Hunt The Gator. I found a non-squeaky squeaky toy (one of those ones that claim dogs can hear them but not humans...I suspect this is bunk, but it was quiet, so game on), and she can't get enough of running after it, shaking it in her mouth like she's that bear in The Edge eating that photographer's assistant, and trying to strip it of sewn-on eyes and teeth.

I am soooooo adorable in my doggie hoodie.

She wasn't 100% housebroken, but we're getting so close to the time when the remaining 4 rugs in the home can go back down on floors. I am not allowed to pronounce each Monday that if she can just get through this week...... because The Colonel believes I am jinxing the progress. We love her lots.

She is a mutt, advertised as a Jack Russell Terrier mix at the lousy shelter, but deemed to have significant Italian Greyhound in her by the vets, and by appearance. And running.

I happened upon some pork shoulder on sale at Safeway, a week or so after the ill-fated use of the mostly fat Food City version. This purchase looked like it would be quality as promised and it was. I used a little over half of a 5 pound roast in honor of our "Jackie Grey*, Super hero Dog", cooking up a slow cooker Italian Pork Stew, which we ate with The Colonel's sourdough bread.

Mangia!

* Jackie = Jack Russell, Grey = Greyhound


Slow Cooker Italian Pork Stew
Adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook

1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
1 each large yellow and red bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and blotted dry

Bubbling away

One 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
2 teaspoons rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoons
Black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons
1/4 cup water

Layer the vegetables in the slow cooker.

Heat half the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the meat and brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to cooker and repeat with remaining oil and meat. Add tomatoes and wine to skillet and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the fennel, orange peel, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Pour over the contents of thr slow cooker, cover and cook on Low  for 7 to 9 hours.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and water to make a slurry. Add to cooker, stirring well, and cook on High until thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes.