Braised Spanish Pork with Chorizo, Tomoato and Chickpeas

I had some left-over, already cooked, barbecue baby back ribs from the weekend, so I decided to make a Spanish inspired stew served over rice.  This made a tasty, comfort-styled dinner that was terrific for warming us up on this cold autumn evening.  Don't have left-overs, no worries use boneless country pork ribs (please note cook time is 2 1/2 hours if raw).  The recipe below assumes they are in their raw state.  If using cooked left-overs add to stew once thickened and then cook for 5 minutes just to heat up and meld into the dish. I served with a simple leaf lettuce salad tossed with a honey-lemon and thyme dressing. Enjoy!

Serves 4

2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 C. yellow onion, diced
1/2 C. Red Bell pepper, diced
1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2# Pork Rib Meat (boneless country ribs work great for this)
4 oz. ground chorizo sausage
1 C. chopped stewed canned tomatoes with juice
1/2 C. dry white wine
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 C. Chicken stock
1 Tbsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1/8 tsp. Nutmeg
1 bay leaf
1 can chickpeas, washed and drained
1/2 C. chopped cilantro
kosher salt, to taste
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat; add oil and get hot.  Season pork ribs liberally with salt and black pepper, add to pot and sear on all sides until browned, about 6-8 minutes.  Remove ribs and reserve on a plate on the side.  Carefully discard the fat from the pot.  Replace pot on stove and reduce heat to low; add chorizo.  With a kitchen spoon break up sausage and brown; once nicely browned use a slotted spoon and remove sausage, add to rib meat and reserve.
Increase heat to medium-high and add onions and bell pepper.  Stir and cook until vegetables start to wilt, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic; stir and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Add flour and stir to incorporate well.  Let cook, stirring often for about 5 minutes.  Add wine, tomatoes, rib meat, sausage and any juices from the plate to the pot.  Add paprika, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and bay leaf, stir. Then add enough chicken stock to just cover the ribs.  Cover pot and cook until rib meat is tender 2-2 1/2 hours.  Check a few times during the cooking to make sure there is enough liquid, you may need to add some additional stock.

Once meat is very tender, remove with slotted spoon and reserve on the side.  Once cool enough to handle break into fork-sized pieces.  Check the consistency of the liquid in the pot.  If too thin, increase heat and reduce to thicken.  If too thick, add small amounts of stock to get to a stew-like consistency.  Once to your liking, remove and discard bay leaf, add chickpeas and return meat to pot.  Add cilantro and correct seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to incorporate let warm for five more minutes.  Serve over rice and enjoy!