Crock Pot Success!

A few months ago I bought an inexpensive crock pot and cooked one recipe I found online and it came out tasting like a mid-week nursing home special. The crock pot subsequently sat unused in a corner. But at the bookstore I recently picked up Slow Cooker Recipes, which was on sale for $1, and saw some yummy looking things in it. Yesterday I broke out the crock pot again, and it turned out great! To commemorate this momentous occasion, I thought I'd share the recipe (and my modifications).

Fall-Apart Pork Roast

2/3 cup whole almonds
2/3 cup raisins
olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 3/4 lbs. lean boneless pork shoulder or loin roast
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup cubed bread of any type (day-old bolillos is authentic)
1 cup chicken broth
2 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons-1/2 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (La Costena brand tastes best--spicy, so taste as you add until it's to your liking)
chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Toast the almons and raisins, then add some olive oil, garlic and onions. Cook until soft and transparent, set half of the mixture aside for garnish.

Brown the roast in olive oil on all sides, 5-7 minutes. Place in crockpot.

In blender, puree almond-onion mixture with tomotoes, broth, bread, chocolate and chipotle peppers. Taste for spiciness; a half a jar of chipotles is perfect for our taste but probably ambulance-requiring for blander American palates. Two tablespoons, which the recipe originally called for, doesn't seem enough to give flavor. Pour puree over roast in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours or until pork is done.

Serve with steamed couscous with vegetables, or with rice. Garnish with cilantro and reserved almond-raisin-onion mixture. Enjoy!