Creole-Style Pork Stew

• From: National Pork Board

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup peanut oil

• 1/2 cup flour

• 2 cups onion, chopped (about 1 large onion)

• 1 cup celery, chopped

• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

• 4 links andouille smoked sausage, chopped (about 1 pound, 2 cups)

• 2 Tbs garlic, minced or chopped (about 4 large cloves)

• 4 cups chicken stock, or 1 carton (32 oz) low-sodium chicken broth

• 2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tsp dried sage

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne, depending on personal taste

• 1/2 to 1 tsp ground red pepper, depending on personal taste

• 2 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• hot pepper sauce, or white vinegar

• 4 cups long-grain white rice, cooked

Andouille sausage, green bell pepper, hot sauce, and cayenne turn up the heat on ordinary pork stew.

Directions

• Make a roux by heating oil in a large, heavy pot over low heat. Stir in flour; cook and stir over low heat until mixture turns a rich red-brown color (about 20 to 25 minutes). Remove from heat; carefully stir in onion, celery, bell pepper and about 1 cup chopped sausage. Return pot to heat; cook and stir 5 minutes over medium heat. Stir in garlic, chicken stock or broth and tomato paste. Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, sage, oregano and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Add pork pieces and reduce heat to simmer; cook uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours or until pork is tender. Stir in remaining chopped sausage; cook 5 minutes more to heat through. (At this stage, if you do not want to serve right away, stew may be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
• Discard bay leaves and skim any visible fat, if desired. Add salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste. To serve, spoon 1/2 cup rice into shallow soup bowls; ladle some of pork mixture over top. Add more hot pepper sauce, if desired.