Filipino Pork Guisantes

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds boneless pork country style ribs

4-6 cloves garlic

4-8 bay leaves

1-2 tablespoon patis (fish sauce to taste)

1 tablespoon freshly cracked or coarsely ground pepper to taste

2 large yellow onions, sliced

1/2 cup water as needed

1 cup tomato paste or 4 cans unsalted tomato sauce

2 teaspoons chopped or sliced pimentos (sweet bell pepper) or 1 jar fancy chopped or sliced sweet pimentos with the juice

2-4 cups frozen peas

2 sticks of cinnamon

Instructions:

Separate the fat from the lean in the pork and slice the pork into stir-fry-size pieces. In a large saute pan, dutch oven or wok over high heat, saute pork fat until melted and drain off excess. (You don't need much more than a couple of teaspoons.) Reduce heat to medium-high and add garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, onion and lean pork. Stir-fry for 15-30 minutes or so until pork is cooked and browned well. Add water and simmer until it is evaporated. Add tomato paste/sauce and pimento and cinnamon sticks and simmer for a 30 minutes or so. Finally, add peas, stirring carefully to break up frozen clumps. Simmer more if meat is not yet tender;  Add more patis to taste.  Add sugar for sweetness Serve hot with rice.


Makes 6-10 servings.