Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

• 4 lb pork roast
• 2 medium onions, sliced to about 1/4 inch
• 10 whole cloves
• light beer (room temp)
• water (warm)
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• 16 oz chipotle BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
• salt
• pepper

Late on the night before you're going to eat it (I was up at midnight) slice the onions. Line the bottom of the pot with the slices from one of the onions.

You can trim the roast of excess fat, I didn't go too crazy with this step. It's extra work and you're going to cook off the fat anyway.

Stick the cloves into the meat. You'll be fishing these out later, so put them somewhere they'll be easy to get to. No need to bury them deep.

Place the roast in the cooker on top of the onions.

Dump in the liquid smoke and garlic powder. Since you'll be using BBQ sauce later, this is not all that important if you don't have these ingredients. Feel free to skip this step.

Put the remaining onion slices on top of the roast.

Now, use a combination of the beer and water to fill up the slow cooker 2/3 of the way up the side. If you've got plenty of beer, use all beer. If you don't like beer, use all water. I use a light beer because I think a hoppy beer is too strong for food that's being slow-cooked. Slow cooking tends to make flavors stronger.

Put the cover on and set the thing on low (or just "on" if you only have one setting) and go away. Alternately, I like to set it on "high" for an hour and then switch to "low." This helps get the ingredients up to temperature quicker. (It doesn't help the slow cooker heat up faster, but it will cause the slow cooker to reach a higher temperature, which means it will take less time for the internal temperature of the roast to hit that desirable level.)

Let it sit for 8 to 12 hours. More than 12 is not a problem if the thing is on low with a lid on it. The lid is supposed to keep moisture in, and hopefully the roast will be fairly swimming in its own juices by that time. You have a lot of time flexibility once it's safely cooked. More cooking is better in this recipe, which is why I did it overnight.

If you don't want to start it the night before, you can do this: start it in the morning as early as you can and let it go for a few hours on high. An hour on high is usually worth 2 on low. So starting at 6 on high and switching to low at 8 means it's had the equivalent of 12 hours by the time 4 PM rolls around.

When the roast is cooked, it should be basically falling apart. Very little is holding it together anymore, since you've cooked away all the fat and connective tissue. Remove the roast with a large spoon and fork. It's hot, be careful! It should break apart. Remove the cloves and any bones. And chunks of fat that remain can also be discarded. All that's left is fairly lean and delicious pork.

Shred it with a fork. This should be very easy if the roast has cooked for 12 hours.

Dump all the onions and liquid out of the slow cooker.

Place the meat back in there. Add the BBQ sauce. If dinner is still hours away, add some water to moisten the mixture and keep it moist. Use your judgment here. Salt and pepper to taste.

At dinner time, serve on your favorite rolls with fresh cole slaw.

A nice garnish can be made by slicing another onion and softening the onion rings in a tsp of butter and a tsp of oil. The stringy onions can be added atop the shredded pork on each open-faced sandwich.

It's really, really good. Especially for a recipe where the most work you did was sticking the cloves in there and pulling them back out. And waiting.

Blackened Striped Bass with Corn Spoon Bread and Greens

• Unsalted butter, for the pan
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 10-ounce package frozen corn
• 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 6-ounce pieces striped bass
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or blackened spice mix
• 4 cups mixed greens

Heat oven to 350° F.

Butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cornmeal and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the corn, scallions, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from heat, stir in the eggs, and spread evenly in the prepared baking dish. Bake until set and golden brown around the edges, about 40 minutes.

When the bread has 15 minutes left to bake, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the bass with the Cajun seasoning and cook until opaque and beginning to flake, about 4 minutes per side.

Divide the greens among individual plates and drizzle with the remaining oil. Serve with the bass and spoon bread.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

CALORIES 740(61% from fat); FAT 54g (sat 29g); SUGAR 19g; PROTEIN 42g; CHOLESTEROL 363mg; SODIUM 767mg; FIBER 5g; CARBOHYDRATE 27g

from Real Simple

Louisana Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash

• 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (2 to 3 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (without tenderloins)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded, cored and finely chopped (1-1/4 cups)
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup nonfat half-and-half

Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, poach the chicken: Cut the breasts in half vertically, place them in a large skillet and add just enough water (or low-sodium chicken broth) to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through and tender. Drain, transfer to a work surface and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Set aside. Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Clean out the skillet and place the butter in it to melt over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the vegetables have softened. Add the paprika and the dried thyme, crumbling it between your fingers, then the salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine for 1 minute.

Add the chicken, sweet potatoes, scallions, parsley and half-and-half. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and the hash is thickened and “tight.”

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

From James Villas, The Glory of Southern Cooking

Nutrients per serving (1/4 recipe): 381 calories, 31g protein, 45g carbohydrates, 8g fat, 84mg cholesterol, 5g saturated fat, 331mg sodium, 6g dietary fiber