Food Musings

Marinate this delicious dish the night before and enjoy a great meal that is quick and easy for any night!

 This delicious meal is quick and easy…fairly calorie conscious too. 

The original recipe was much to complicated, toasting dried chiles and grinding them into powder.  It’s just as easy to get Pasilla Chile Powder from the Mexican Food spice section in your grocery store.  It comes in a bag and it very inexpensive compared to the bottled spices.

Serve this yummy pork dish with a Black Bean Mango Salad and you’ve got a meal that you can be proud of. 

Grilled Adobo Pork

 
Originally adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.  Changed quite a bit over the years!

Yield:  4 servings

• Olive Oil
• 1/4 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 tablespoons Pasilla Chile Powder
• 1/2 cup less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• Dash of ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons balsamic white vinegar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 (6-ounce) pork loin chops (about 1/2 inch thick), trimmed or 2 pork loins sliced lengthwise to 1/2 inch
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat a large skillet coated with olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, turning frequently.  Add Pasilla Chile Powder to mixture

Combine chile, garlic, onion, broth, and next 4 ingredients (broth through allspice) in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon vinegar. Bring to a simmer; cook 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and salt. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Place chile mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour ½ of puréed mixture into a small bowl.

Combine 1/2 cup chile mixture and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the pork chops to bag; seal bag. Marinate pork in refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight, turning bag occasionally. Combine remaining chile mixture with orange juice and lime juice; cover and refrigerate.

Prepare grill.  Place the reserved sauce in a small saucepan; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. 

Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink), basting frequently with reserved marinade. Remove from heat; top with warm sauce.