Pork Chili Verde

Last night I once again threw together a supper from stuff that was around the house. I had a big hunk of pork loin in the freezer -- just over two pounds worth. I had bought a whole pork loin on sale several months back, stuffed and roasted a piece of it, and stashed the rest in the deep freeze. Pork has a pretty limited freezer life, so I needed to do something with it before it started tasting nasty. (Even well-wrapped pork shouldn't be left in the freezer more than 4-6 months at the very outside. It develops an off-flavor that all the spices and sauces in the world cannot hide.)

But pork loin is a super-lean cut, and therefore can be bland and dry. When I bought it I was thinking in terms of brining it, which adds both flavor and moisture. But by the time I got around to cooking dinner last night, several hours of brining time were out of the question.

So here's what I did:

I put my big skillet over high heat, and added about a tablespoon of bacon grease. (Yes, bacon grease. I am completely unconvinced that vegetable oils, even the really good ones like olive, peanut, almond, or coconut, are nutritionally superior to animal fats. And we all know how good bacon grease tastes. Plus, I'm using up something I would otherwise throw away, which in these fiscally perilous times strikes me as a good idea. As I write this, I am digesting an omelet that I cooked in bacon grease.)

I cut my pork loin -- just over two pounds worth -- into cubes, maybe 3/4" or so. Threw 'em into the hot grease, and let them brown a little while I chopped a half-onion that was kicking around the fridge.

When my pork cubes were no longer pink, I added the onion, a 1-pound jar of salsa verde, a couple of tablespoons of sliced jalapenos that were cluttering up the fridge (I chopped 'em a little first), a half-cup of water, and about a teaspoon of chicken bouillon concentrate. I turned the burner to low, and let the whole thing simmer, covered, but with the lid cracked, for about a half-hour. Then I took off the lid and let it simmer for another half-hour, to cook down a bit.

Served it with sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack. That Nice Boy I Married, a big Mexican food fan, pronounced it excellent, and I thought it was pretty good myself.

Here are the numbers:

Assuming five servings, each will have: 216 Calories; 9g Fat; 23g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber