Cuban-Style, Pork & Rice

Eating Well Newsletter, May/07. No marinating time. Sounds awesome, so am putting it here for safekeeping. It is a meal in one! All you need is some warm bread to sop up some of the juices and a nice tropical fruit cup for cleanse the palate and give you something sweet with which to end the meal.

• Ready In: 1 hr 25 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup paprika
• 1⁄4 cup lime juice
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2  tablespoons rum (optional)
• 2  teaspoons  minced garlic
• 2  tablespoons  chopped garlic, divided
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh oregano
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1⁄2 lbs boneless pork chops, trimmed, cut into cubes (3/4-1 inch thick)
• 2  cups  chopped onions
• 2  cups arborio rice or 2  cups  short-grain brown rice
• 2 (14 ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  canned diced tomato
• 2  tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon saffron thread
• 16  large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (21-25 per pound) (optional)
• 2  cups frozen artichoke hearts (fresh or frozen,) or 2  cups  cooked green beans, thawed (fresh or frozen,)
• 1⁄2 cup  roasted red pepper, cut into strips

Directions

1. Combine paprika, lime juice, 2 tablespoons oil, rum (if using), 2 teaspoons minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin in a medium bowl, stirring to make a homogeneous paste.
2. Add pork and stir to coat.
3. Marinate pork 4-24 hours.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
5. Add the pork, leaving any excess spice mixture in the bowl to add later.
6. Cook the pork, stirring, until just cooked on the outside and the spices are very fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Transfer the pork to a plate.
8. Add onion and the remaining 2 tablespoons garlic to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
9. Add rice and cook, stirring, until well coated with the onion mixture.
10. Stir in broth, tomatoes, capers, saffron and any remaining spice mixture. (If using brown rice, also add 3/4 cup water now.)
11. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes for arborio, 30 minutes for brown rice.
12. Preheat oven to 350°F.
13. Stir shrimp (if using) and artichokes (or green beans) into the rice.
14. Cover and bake for 20 minutes.
15. Stir in the pork and any accumulated juices from the plate; scatter roasted peppers on top.
16. Cover and continue baking until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed (if you’ve added shrimp, they should be opaque and pink), 10 to 15 minutes more.