May 12, 2010

Spanish Rice Pork Chops

bell peppers, cheese, main dish, Pork, Rice, stovetop, tomatoes

Presented by

45 ratings

Prep time: 24 minutes
cooking time 35 minutes
Servings: 4
Partner: Crispy Zucchini Sticks

The rich taste of the pork and bell peppers reminded Grandpa of his family’s cooking down South.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 boneless loin pork chops, trimmed, butterflied
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (28-ounce) can tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions

1

Melt shortening in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the pork chops in the hot shortening until browned, about 6 minutes per side; drain well.
2

Combine salt, chili powder and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle on pork chops in skillet.
3

Layer rice, onion and bell pepper over pork chops. Pour the undrained tomatoes on top.
4

Cook over low heat, covered, until the pork chops and rice are tender, about 35 minutes, adding water if mixture becomes too dry.
5

Sprinkle Cheddar over the layers in the skillet. Serve hot.

Grandma's Secret Trick

Grandma saved bacon drippings in a metal canister by her stove. For a deep pork flavor, she used bacon drippings instead of shortening to brown the pork chops. And to give the rice a toasty taste, she added it to the skillet after the pork chops were browned and let it brown a little, too, before adding the other ingredients.