Pork and Fennel Stew

This is an odd recipe I found on AP of all places. It is an oddly satisfying stew. It’s also VERY low fat and of course you can make it in about 30 minutes. Yield is about 3.5 quarts or 8 servings.

1# pork, bite sized pcs (I get “pork for stew” at the grocery; if not, use chops)
1 Tbl olive oil
1 bulb fennel (med), thinly sliced on a mandolin (about 1.5 cup)
1.5-2 cups finely sliced cabbage (I used .5 a savoy head)
.75 cup sliced carrots
.75 cup sliced celery
1 med diced onion (OR use frozen mirepoix, about 2 cups for carrots celery and onion)
3 cloves minced garlic (or use Indian garlic paste, 2Tbl)
1 bay leaf
1.5 Tbl crushed dried tarragon
.5 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbl dijon
zest and juice of one lemon (or lime or orange)
1 Tbl cider vinegar
about a quart of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream for garnish
flour for dredging

Trim pork and dredge in flour + s/p. Heat a large soup pot or dutch oven with olive oil to med high and brown pork. When the pork has browned on all sides, turn down the heat to med and add all the veg except the cabbage. Let the veg begin to get soft (about 5-6 mins) and add garlic, bay, tarragon, red pepper and dijon. Stir and coat the meat and veg. Turn up the heat to high and add lemon zest/juice and vinegar. Keep everything moving so as not to burn. Add in enough stock to cover meat/veg and bring to boil. Add in cabbage and add the rest of the stock to barely cover the cabbage. Stir cabbage in thoroughly and bring back to boil, then turn down to simmer. Let simmer 20-30 mins. Check s/p levels. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.