On Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:02:24 -0400, Kate Connally
> wrote:

> Well, it's the end of the month and I couldn't afford
> to buy any additional groceries so I tried to figure out
> what to make with what I had on hand. Mainly I had some
> boneless country-style ribs in the freezer. I also had
> cans of corn, black beans, potatoes, diced tomatoes, and
> coconut milk.
>
> I had just finished 2 weeks of my green chili (pork, green
> chiles, corn, potatoes, black beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic,
> chile powder, oregano, basil, etc. I had all the ingredients
> to make it again but decided I wanted something different for
> a change.
>
> So, since I had coconut milk in abundance I decided to try to
> whip up something Thai-like. I got out my Thai cookbook and
> found a recipe for chicken that would be great with pork. I
> went through it and saw that I had the ingredients or something
> I could substitute. I also planned to add a few different
> ingredients not typically Thai.
>
> So, I browned the "ribs" in the oven and then chopped them
> into small cubes. Dumped them in the slow cooker. Added all
> the pan juices. Added 2 cans of corn, 2 cans of coconut milk,
> and 2 cans of diced tomatoes (one of them with jalapenos).
>
> The recipe called for galangal. I didn't have any fresh but
> I had the powder so I threw some of that in. I added lots of
> crushed red pepper flakes and a large glob of chili paste (not
> Thai but close enough). I also added some of my "processed" onions
> which I had in the freezer. (I hate the texture of large pieces of
> cooked onion in foods so I always finely chop my onions in the food
> processor. I do a lot at one time and put them up in small containers
> in the freezer. Very handy.)
>
> I also added a whole small head of garlic cloves, peeled and crushed.
> And some lime juice I had in the freezer. I didn't have any Thai basil
> (but it didn't call for that anyway) but I threw in some regular basil.
> And some freshly ground black pepper. I didn't add any salt. I
> figured there would be enough from the canned veggies and I don't like a
> lot of salt anyway. The recipe also called for kaffir lime leaves. I
> had some sort of leaves in a jar in the cupboard that I had had a long
> time. They were not labelled but I knew they were either kaffir lime or
> curry leaves, but couldn't remember which. So I threw a couple of those
> in. What the hell! Also added extra water to fill the pot.
>
> I cooked it several hours on high. I actually started it Sat. evening
> too late for dinner on Sat. I let it sit overnight and ate it last
> night.
>
> I had no idea how this would taste. I was half afraid to taste it.
> (In case you wonder why, well, I never taste things while I'm cooking
> with the exception of gravy because I never seem to get enough salt in
> my gravy!) But it was delicious. I know the corn sounds weird but it's
> quite good. I was tempted to also put some potatoes or even some of the
> black beans in it but I finally decided to go with just the corn.
>
> I had some really good Tuscan bread from a local bakery which I
> buttered and toasted and ate with the soup. Boy, I can't wait to
> get home tonight for more of that stuff!
>
I'd love to see what's in your cupboards. I love to "shop" in mine.
Sounds like you have more and more variety than those who *can* afford
to buy groceries!


--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.