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add the meat and brown on all sides a few pieces at a time, being careful not to crowd the pan. Transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the onion to the same skillet, adding oil if the pan is dry, and sauté until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the tequila (if using) and allow the liquid to evaporate by half.

transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Stir the beans and beef broth together in a bowl. Add to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

cook the stew on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and the beans are thick. Skim off any fat from the surface of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

ladle some of the meat and beans onto a tostada shell and top with cilantro, sour cream, and cheese. Serve two per person if the tostada shells are smaller than 6 inches across.

serves 8

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pork savvy

Pork shoulder is usually cheaper with the bone in, even though you are paying for the weight of the bone. With a dish like this, you can buy it on the bone and cut away the bone before cutting it into cubes. Some markets offer already-cut-up shoulder meat.

Umbrian Porchetta

Several years ago, my husband and I set off on what I called the “Roots Tour” of Italy. My grandmother was born in a small hill town in Umbria, and I set out to find the family. Umbria is home to many wonderful culinary pleasures, chief among them a roasted pork called porchetta, which is not only served in restaurants, but also at roadside stands dotting the countryside. The pork is butterflied and stuffed with aromatic herbs, onion, garlic, and, sometimes, fennel, then slow roasted for hours. The result is meltingly tender pork perfumed with the flavors of the stuffing. This is my take on this traditional Umbrian dish.

One 4-pound boneless pork shoulder, butterflied

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 bulb fennel, ends trimmed, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine or vermouth

place the pork fat-side down on a cutting board and sprinkle with some of the salt and pepper. Stir together the remaining salt and pepper, the oil, garlic, rosemary, and fennel seeds. rub this mixture all over the pork.

roll up the pork from the short side and tie with kitchen string or silicone loops. Spread the onions and fennel over the bottom of the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Pour in the wine and place the pork on top of the vegetables.

cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the meat from the slow cooker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Strain the contents of the slow cooker through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan and skim off any fat from the surface.

bring the sauce to a boil and reduce by half. Cut the strings from the roast. Cut the meat into ½-inch-thick slices or shred the meat with two forks.

serve piled on a platter and accompany with the sauce.

serves 8

Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Apples

Pork chops can sometimes be dry and tough, but in the slow cooker they turn into a meltingly tender and succulent entrée. These chops rest on thinly sliced sweet apples, flavored with Dijon mustard and brown sugar, and are covered with onions and sauerkraut. This one-pot meal is terrific to serve with mashed potatoes and applesauce.

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

4 Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, cut into ½-inch-thick slices

½ cup Dijon mustard

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Six 1-inch-thick pork loin chops

2 medium sweet onions, cut into half moons

One 1-pound bag sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

½ cup apple juice

pour half the butter into the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the apples and toss to coat. Stir the mustard and sugar together in a small bowl and dot the apples with ¼ cup of the mustard