Pork with Balsamic Sauce, Slow Cooker; the lockdown continues

Ah, spring !

The daffodils are done, the tulips are just starting, the lilacs have new leaves and flower buds….

It’s time to sort out the vinegar.

I bought decorative bottles from the Willimas Sonoma catalog back before their stores were everywhere,

Are their stores still everywhere?

I digress….

I have 6 of the bottles and I keep them on my counter, tucked into a corner, filled with vinegar. I always have both red and white Balsamic, sherry, cider, and white wine tarragon vinegar. The remaining bottle can vary from year to year: lemon, raspberry, walnut, red wine shallot…. whatever appeals and happens to be on the store shelf when I’m shopping.

In the spring I empty each bottle into a bowl, straining out the mother if there is one and wash the bottle. I taste the vinegar, and, if it’s still good, I pour it back in it’s bottle. I mean…. it’s vinegar.

Then I stock the pantry for summer.

It all puts me in the mood for dishes using…. vinegar.

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Pork with Balsamic Sauce, Slow Cooker

Print Recipe

Our favorite way to do boneless pork chops is in the slow cooker. The seasonings can vary, the prep is minimal and they are always fork-tender

• Author: Katie Zeller
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 hours
• Total Time: 5 hours 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 servings 1x
• Category: Pork Chops
• Method: Slow Cooker

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 boneless pork chops, about 1″ thick, cut in half
• 1 medium onion, chopped  use red or white
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbs tomato paste
• 2/3 cup (5oz, 150ml) beef broth
• 1/3 cup (3oz) Balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs tapioca

Instructions

• Put onions and celery in the slow cooker.
• Top with chops in a single layer.
• Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chops.
• Cover and cook, low heat, for 5 hours.
• Give it a stir and turn the chops half way through if you can.

Notes

I use tapioca to thicken slow cooker sauces because it can be added at the beginning. You could also dissolve 1 tbs cornstarch in 2 tbs water and stir it in 30 minutes before serving.

We’re starting week 3 of our lock-down. It’s just been extended until April 15 but I expect it will go on at least until the first part of May. I also expect it will be lifted in stages, similar to what they are doing in China.

I decided it was time to quit worrying and start being a bit more organized about the whole thing.

The first isn’t at all possible but I can try to stop drifting through the days.

I have lots to do: spring cleaning the house and cleaning out, planning and planting the vegetable garden are 2 of the big projects.

Cleaning out files and going through cook books and paperbacks to (maybe) cull the ones I won’t look at again are 2 of the medium projects.

Spending more time painting and drawing are just on my wish list.

Online I have a French course and a photography course.

Plus there is the blog and sites that need to be maintained, updated, problems solved, etc.

My usual operating mode would be to pick a project and tackle it until finished.That doesn’t seem to be working at the moment….

There’s no pressure to get anything done. I work best under pressure.

I’m going to try a daily schedule: something I like, then something I dislike, then something for fun.

Maybe, just maybe, that will give me a sense of accomplishment as well as a reward every day.

And, just maybe, I’ll have my cleaning / planting / culling projects done by May and I can spend more time doing the fun stuff.

I’ll let you know if it’s working.