Pork Loin Roast and Acorn Squash

Tonight I had my mother over to help me transcribe some Hemingway/Fitzgerald letters for a project I am doing for graduate school, so to return the favor I made dinner. Tonight's dinner was another slow cooker recipe, and although it isn't a recipe for one it was worthy of sharing.

2-3 pound pork loin roast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1-2 teaspoon(s) of dried rosemary
1-2 teaspoon(s) pepper
1 can vegetable broth
1 large sweet onion cut into slices
1 apple (granny smith or honey crisp) cut into quarters

Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix them up. Place a layer of onions at the bottom of the crock pot. Rinse the pork roast with water and use your hands to rub the spices on the roast so that it is covered with spice. Place the roast on top of the onions (fatty side down) and pour the vegetable broth on the outside area of the roast-avoid pouring it on top of the roast because you'll rinse off the spices. Add the apples and onions all around and on top of the roast.

Place the slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours. Flip your roast and cook on medium or high for 3-4 hours. Your roast should be fully cooked and tender and ready to eat. I served mine with broth and some of the onions and apples that cooked with it in the broth.

Acorn Squash (10 minutes for prep time and 35 for cooking)

1-2 acorn squashes (1 will feed 3 or 4 people)
3 tablespoons melted butter (per acorn squash)
Brown sugar
Cinnamon


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You will need a good sharp knife to cut into your acorn squash because it has a tough outer skin. Cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and slimy stuff. Cut off the stem. Cut the acorn squash into 1 inch sections.

Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Place the squash on the cookie sheet and use a pastry brush to brush butter on both sides of the squash. Sprinkle with cinnamon and then with brown sugar-add a generous amount. About halfway through the cooking process flip over the squash  because this will allow both sides of the squash to be caramelized and brown. Your squash will be easily pierced with a fork and should have a nice brown outer coating.

My final plate looked something like this one; as you can see there were also steamed vegetables and garlic bread.