This is SO worth a mention.
I have made the Swallows Pork and Tomatillo Stew several years ago (at the apartment, so 3-4?) and hadn't made it since. I decided I wanted to try it again after finding a pork blade roast on sale last weekend (it was about a pound and a half, not the full 2lbs called for.) I made a few changes; I didn't remember how much tomatillo it called for at the store, so I used...I dunno, 7 of them? I didn't measure, but it likely wasn't a full pound. I didn't have dark beer, so I added about a cup of white wine instead. I also didn't have enough fresh tomatoes, so I put in a can of petite diced canned tomatoes (with juice) instead. I had half a bunch of cilantro (the rest went into the rice earlier in the week) so that's all that went in. I did most of the prep work (browning, simmering, chopping) last night, and let it go on low for 8 hours in the crock pot while I was at work today, adding the black beans (rinsed) and cooking it another half hour on low after I came home.
I had leftover Mambo Rice from the potluck on Monday, so instead of mixing lime with the sour cream, I just served it over that.
IT WAS AWESOME. The combination was PERFECT. The extra tang of the mostly raw garlic in the rice, and the lime...just a perfect addition. Seriously, I tasted the stew alone and it was okay, but with the rice it was GREAT. I garnished with a little shredded mexican quesadilla cheese, since I had that too, and the fat from the sour cream and the cheese was also a great addition to the flavor.
If you like spicy, you may want to add more hot peppers; Brian just added a few drops of hot sauce to his. It was nowhere near too spicy for me, though, so the heat would have been unnoticeable for him.
I had leftover Mambo Rice from the potluck on Monday, so instead of mixing lime with the sour cream, I just served it over that.
IT WAS AWESOME. The combination was PERFECT. The extra tang of the mostly raw garlic in the rice, and the lime...just a perfect addition. Seriously, I tasted the stew alone and it was okay, but with the rice it was GREAT. I garnished with a little shredded mexican quesadilla cheese, since I had that too, and the fat from the sour cream and the cheese was also a great addition to the flavor.
If you like spicy, you may want to add more hot peppers; Brian just added a few drops of hot sauce to his. It was nowhere near too spicy for me, though, so the heat would have been unnoticeable for him.