Sunday Soup #92: Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Pork Stew

Have you ever just gotten into a mood for a particular something... You know, when your stomach radios up to the brain and says, "Hey dummy, it's very Fall-like today, so we need a Fall soup to make it feel right." Don't judge me! LOL

Suffice to say, I was looking for another soup that screamed "Fall!" and stumbled across this Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Pork Stew recipe that looked interesting. I am not usually a fan of squash (a combo of taste and texture issues), but this one just seemed too interesting to pass up. Let's see how it went...

This recipe came from: https://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-fall-harvest-pork-stew/

*Pic 1 - https://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-fall-harvest-pork-stew/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I added an extra tsp of chipotle powder (because we like things spicy) and a tsp of smoked salt (because we like things smokey, and I thought a little more salt would help balance the sweetness of the apples/squash). That's it!

General Thoughts: Anytime a soup is bound for the slow cooker (aka, the Crock-Pot), it is probably going to be pretty easy to make. The prep for this one was, indeed, fairly simple, primarily because I used pre-diced carrots, pre-cut squash, pre-diced onion, and pre-cubed pork. The only prep that took me any real time was peeling and dicing the apples. This soup was also fairly economical to make, as all of the ingredients are fairly common and easy to obtain at your local supermarket.

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

The taste of this one was decent if a little bland for me. It was hearty, warm, and very Fall-like, so it fit the bill there. But, as the recipe stated, it was a little sweet (where I much prefer savory). The taste of the apples, squash, and carrots was pretty well-balanced with the pork, with none of the tastes overpowering the others. The broth was my favorite part, and it was what most reminded me of Fall; I could taste the apples, squash, and herbs in each bite. The pork was tender enough (I slow cooked it for eight hours) but not-yet falling apart. I think I would have preferred it to be even more tender, closer to a pork roast before it is shredded so that the pork almost melted in my mouth. Finally, I wish I could say this soup made me a squash lover but, sadly, squash remains my nemesis, as I had trouble getting past its texture in this recipe as well.

Potential Improvements? I'd, personally, swap the squash out for potatoes, but if squash is your jam, drive on! I'd love to see how this one tastes with a shot or two of apple cider vinegar to further cut the sweetness. And, I think I'd make it even a little saltier, possibly by way of marinating the pork in a complimentary savory mixture (maybe something like this one, from Ina Garten: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe-1948375).

Polling the Fam: All in all, this was a decent Fall selection, and I'd make it again (trying some of my above potential improvements) if the mood struck me. Becky, who digs squash, really liked this one and wanted to go back for seconds (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of the 3 it was destined for if I'd eaten it alone). Fox really didn't care for it, but that is not a surprise given its ingredients.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)