Banana Pork Stew

Preheat crockpot receptacle on high.

Wash and halve five small golden potatoes.  Place in bottom of large crockpot.  Peel and thickly slice three red bananas and place in crockpot among potatoes.  Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1/8 tsp turmeric, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt.  Peel and thinly two large yellow bananas and place in layer above potatoes/red bananas.

Peel and slice into disks two Vidalia sweet onions; place in layer over bananas.  Sprinkle with 1/4 ground ginger, 1/4 ground savory, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp white pepper.

Take 5.27 lb boneless pork loin and cut into ten thick disks.  Pour liquids into crockpot.  Place six slices into layer and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 1/4 tsp ground coriander.  Top each cut with three fresh rainier cherry halves.  Place four remaining cuts in layer toward center over this, sprinkle again with 1/2 tsp garlic salt and 1/4 tsp ground coriander, and top with three fresh rainier cherry halves each.

Peel and quarter four good-sized shallots and place in corners around meat.  Wash and cut one large orange and one large yellow carrot into 2 inch long segments.  Place around edges.

Pour 2 cups chicken broth into crockpot, over shallots, and 1/4 cup silver rum across middle.  Cover and place crockpot into holder and cook on high for 6 hours.

Serve, salting to taste.

This is a relatively quick cooker for me, that makes food for several meals; cooking up a bit of rice with the broth can extend this to three to four solid meals.  The meat is delicious, and the bananas are surprisingly tasty but not very sweet, instead absorbing the flavors of he stew and acting like starches similar to the potatoes. I used the bananas on a whim when I found that some of the potatoes I intended to use had gone bad, as had some jicama I had.  The cherries act as a nice garnish, and the whole dish is built on a theme of yellows and oranges for color.  The shallots and onions are a tasty touch.

This dish is free of gluten, nuts, peanuts, canola, sunflower, dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms, among other things.

  
  
Golden Potatoes
Sliced Bananas 
Rainier Cherry 2