Navajo Stew

I'd never had this stew, despite living in the Four Corners region...but I had a pork shoulder thawed and waiting to be used. I also have all these ingredients in the pantry, and there is hardly any prep work. Perfect for a day I don't really feel like cooking...although my pork roast is twice the size the recipe calls for, I guess we'll see what happens!

The recipe comes from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook, which has some very different, tasty and relatively easy recipes in it.

Currently in the slow cooker, pictures and review tonight!

Navajo Stew
Serves 4 to 6

Here is real home cooking from Four Corners (where New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet). This is a fast, easy meal. Serve it with bread, rice, and a green salad.

Cooker: medium or large round or oval
Settings and cook times: LOW for 7 to 9 hours, then HIGH for about 20 minutes; chickpeas and chiles added during last 20 minutes

One 2- to 2-1/2 pound Boston pork butt, trimmed of all fat (I didn't trim)
1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced into half moons
Water to cover
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
One 4-ounce can roasted whole green chiles, drained and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch-wide strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In the morning, put the pork butt and onion slices in the slow cooker and add just enough water to cover. Then cover and cook on LOW until the pork shreds easily when pressed with a spoon, 7 to 9 hours.

When ready for dinner, cut the pork butt into cubes or break into uneven pieces. Return to the cooker, add the chickpeas and chiles, turn the cooker to HIGH, and cook until hot, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. You can thicken the sauce if you like by taking off the lid and cooking for another 15 minutes on HIGH. Serve in bowls.