Slow Cooker Spare Ribs

Ingredients:
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed tomato soup
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 lbs pork spareribs
1 tsp cornstarch (optional)
1/4 c. cold water (optional)

1. Place ribs in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together soup, onion, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce. Remove ribs from water, and transfer to a slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs.

3. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.

4. If sauce is too thin when cooking time is done, drain sauce from ribs, and pour into a sauce pan. Combine 1 teaspoon cornstarch with a small amount of cold water, stir into sauce, and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce has reached desired thickness.

NOTE: Sauce works well for Pulled Pork sandwiches.
Instead of ribs, place pork butt or shoulder in slow cooker and cover with sauce. Cook for 6 to 8 hours or until pork is tender. Remove pork from slow cooker and place on cutting board. Using 2 forks, pull pork apart and return torn pork to slow cooker. Stir to mix pork into sauce.

Caribbean Chicken

adapted from "Trinidadian Chicken Stew"

1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
chicken (mixture of thighs and breasts)*
1 tbsp ginger (either freshly grated or bottled)
1 tsp salt (original recipe called for kosher salt)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 whole peeled canned tomatoes
2 tbsp thyme (original recipe called for chopped fresh thyme leaves)
parsley (original recipe called for 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup liquid from canned tomatoes
1 cup water (original recipe called for 1 1/2 cups water with no tomato liquid)

In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until very dark, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces, ginger, salt & pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is brown, about 5 minutes.

Break up the tomatoes in a container or bowl and add to the pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover the pot and simmer until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 40 to 45 minutes. Season with more salt & pepper, if necessary.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave lid off and cook a bit longer, but be careful that vegetables don't get overcooked.

Garnish with more parsley before serving. Serves 4.

Good reheated.

* original recipe called for 2 skinless, boneless breasts, halved, and 4 small skinless, bone-in chicken thighs. Use all breasts or all thighs, skinless or not, bone-in or boneless - whatever you have on hand or prefer