New England Pork Bowl

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound boned pork loin, cut into thin strips
• 3 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 1 cup thinly sliced leek (about 1 large)
• 2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 2 cups water
• 3 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped spinach
• 4 cups hot cooked perciatelli (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped spaghetti)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely shredded white cheddar cheese
• 6 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade.
2. Cook bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon from pan, reserving bacon drippings in pan, and set bacon aside. Add half of pork to bacon drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes, and remove pork from pan. Repeat procedure with remaining pork. Add sliced onion and leek to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the reserved marinade, pork, sweet potato, water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked bacon and spinach, and cook for 1 minute. Place pasta into each of 6 large bowls, and top with broth mixture, cheese, and green onions.