Monday, March 15, 2010

Gird your Loins





Roasted pork loin is something that I make at least once a week. BP II loves pork loin and it happens to be something that is so simple but can be a bit elegant as well. Pork loin is especially good for a weekend where you have been running around and want something special but just don't have the energy. I start by removing the pork loin from the fridge and letting it come to room temperature. That is important so the meat cooks evenly. No one likes a bulls eye piece of meat.

I like to pair this dish with some roasted potatoes. My oven is already to 400º so might as well use that heat. I also happened to buy a whole head of Boston lettuce that needed to be used up, so salad with some homemade salad dressing and croutons finished off the meal.

This pork loin around turned out to be a bit dry and I blame it on my slow manual meat thermometer. The stupid thing would not register the 145º the meat requires until of course it soared by 145º to 165º. And, as we all know, meat continues to cook after you remove it from the oven so the end product was more like 170º. ( I guess BP II was happy to know that there was no chance for him to get food poisoning from this meal.) However, a quick pan sauce made the meat almost juicy again and BP II ate more salad then I have ever seen a grown man eat. I am going to say that everything came together nicely and everyone was happy. (I was happy because I got to buy a digital read thermometer the very next day guilt free.)

Pork Loin

Preheat oven to 400º. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper and if you like ¼ teaspoon of cumin. Heat a heavy, oven proof skillet to med-high heat. Add some olive oil or butter to the pan. Evenly brown the pork loin on each side then place in the oven for about 20 minutes, depending on how large your pork loin is. Remove when meat reaches 145º. (If you have cooked your pork loin to your perfect temperature, simply sprinkle with pan juices and serve. The great thing about a good piece of meat is simple additions make it phenomenal.) However, if you overcooked the meat like me. You can save it with a pan sauce.

Simple Pan Sauce

Remove the pork loin from the pan and let rest. Return the pan to med-high heat and add ¼ cup of chopped shallots and 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic. Brown for about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of white wine and let simmer. When wine has evaporated add 1 cup of chicken stock and that simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Salt and pepper to taste and spoon over pork loin.

Roasted Potatoes

Cut 4-5 small red potatoes into 1 inch cubes and place evenly on baking sheet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of rosemary if you have some. Place in 400º oven for 20 minutes or until potatoes are brown on all sides. About half way through shake the sheet to make sure the potatoes are not sticking and things are browning on all sides.

Salad Dressing

Chop 1 teaspoon of garlic and place in bowl. Add 2 tablespoon of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and whisk in about ½ - ¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Homemade Croutons

Chop some old bread (I used a several days old bagel) into bite size portion. Place a skillet on med high heat and add some oil to coat the pan. Drop bread into pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn constantly until thoroughly toasted.

Salad

Combine Boston lettuce, toasted walnuts, tomatoes and croutons. Coat with dressing and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

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