February 23, 2013

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin

You probably know by now my eternal infatuation with pork.  Truth be told, it’s hard to shake it off especially since pork played such a major part into my upbringing.  Remember the Romanian Christmas traditions and all those elaborate pork dishes?  Yet sometimes, grandma Vicki would just hand me a fat slice of rustic crusty bread, heavily smeared with pork lard (yes, I know, pork lard!) and dusted with salt and paprika.  And I would be out the door and off with my playmates with a smile and messy red smudge on my face and the hunk of bread in my hand.  I’m not advocating pork fat here by any means, although I would have loved to be a judge in the Iron Chef America: Battle Pork Fat challenge a while back.  Anyway, you get the picture!       




 

So, when it comes to pork I like to go all out for big, bold and bright flavors.  This Herb-Roasted Pork Loin recipe stems from a recipe, which my grandma always makes for New Year’s or Christmas or whenever we feel like gobbling down a hulky piece of pork; and a Barefoot Contessa recipe for a tacky and garlicky herb paste.  I meant to tell you about this fabulous Herb-Roasted Pork Loin, last week, and offer you a solid choice for a celebratory Valentine’s Day dinner.  But then pain erupted, followed by an emergency trip to my dentist, and culminating with an imminent root canal.  I’ll spare you the grisly details but I can tell you that the rest of the week was pretty foggy after that.  Anyhow, I don’t think that you need a special occasion to make this fantastic meal.  But if you need one, the Oscars are just around the corner and this pork dish would be wonderful to savor before the awards; followed by a rich and nutty Walnut and Chocolate Cake and a glass of bubbly and fruity Prosecco drink!       





Seasoning the meat with salt and pepper (and maybe a pinch of paprika) would usually suffice to make a mouthwatering dish.  But then I stumbled upon this resinous and flavor packed rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic, mustard and lemon juice mélange, and I was smitten.  The pork is thickly swaddled in the mustard-garlic-herb mixture, prettily browned on all sides, then bathed in a shimmering pool of crisp white wine and roasted to perfection; it’s insanely delicious!  Slice and serve it with Sweet Green Peas or Creamed Corn and Mashed Potatoes, and spoon the pan juices over the pork slices and potatoes and you’ll be in heaven!  This phenomenal herb-roasted pork loin makes for an elegant dinner; and when cold and sliced and sandwiched between two chunks of bread makes for a quick and satiating lunch. 





And another thing – although no bird could ever replace the satisfying pork, a hefty piece of skin-on turkey breast, tied up and generously smeared with the viscous paste over and under the skin is ethereally delicious for a small crowd at Thanksgiving; and it roasts substantially faster than the whole bird.  Just saying...



 

Herb-Roasted Pork Loin
Adapted from my grandma Vicki and Barefoot Contessa

Makes: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

·         1 (2 – 2.5 pound) boneless pork loin roast
·         3 garlic cloves, minced
·         2 teaspoons dry mustard
·         1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
·         1 Tablespoon fresh sage leaves, chopped
·         1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
·         2 teaspoon salt
·         1 teaspoon black pepper
·         4 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
·         2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
·         1 cup dry white wine




Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, dry mustard, herbs, salt, pepper, 2 Tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice to make a paste.  Smear the paste evenly all over the pork.  Reserve 1 Tablespoon of paste.  Allow the meat to marinate for about 15 minutes.   




In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the pork and cook until brown on all sides.  Transfer the pork loin to a roasting pan and place it skin side up.  Pour the juices and oil from the skillet over the meat.  Smear the pork with the reserved 1 Tablespoon of paste.   Pour the wine into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Cover the pan with aluminum foil.




Roast the pork for about 1 hour.  Remove the aluminum foil and roast the meat for 15 minutes longer and until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the pork.  When the pork is done, cover the pan with foil and allow the pork to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.  




P.S.: I’ll be back on March 19!  Adrian and I are off to Romania to see our families for the next couple of weeks.  I won’t be able to post while away but I’ll return with stories and most certainly new recipes from my grandma Vicki!  Until then…

Poftă Bună! (Bon Appétit!)   

41 comments:

  1. That herb roasted pork loin is calling to me! So delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Dana! I hope you are feeling better xx
    This looks incredible! Being Chinese, pork is such a staple for us but we rarely go beyond belly pork when roasting. So I love this recipe!
    Have a good trip to Romania and looking forward to having you back on the posting front :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jaime! It's so nice to hear from you! Thank you so much for stopping by and for the lovely comment! I think that you'd love this recipe; it's packed with flavor :)

      Delete
  3. Sweet Dana! I hope you're totally recovered. While it may have been tough to avoid solid foods for a bit, I bet you totally took the opportunity to hone your smoothie and ice cream making skills :) Also, totally made the Barefoot Contessa recipe for our Christmas dinner, too. And, my goodness, your pictures are gorgeous!! You should totally have one printed on a canvas and hang in your kitchen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Katy! Thank you so much for the lovely comment! I did have to avoid solid foods for a bit :(, but now I'm back to real food :) Isn't that Barefoot Contessa recipe amazing? The flavors are out of this world. I'm so happy that you like my pictures and I may take your advice and hang one of the pictures in my kitchen :D

      Delete
  4. Dear Dana,

    With some many different herbs used, I can imagine every slice of this pork loin must be very flavorsome.

    Hope you enjoy your Romania holiday and hope to see more of grandma Vicki's recipes in the near future :D

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Zoe! This pork is definitely packed with flavor! :) We had a great time in Romania and I brought with me more recipes from grandma Vicki :D

      Delete
  5. This looks so hearty and flavorful!

    I hope your teeth are okay. Teeth emergencies are the worst kind of emergencies :-/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Alex! Thank you for the kind words! My teeth are better, now, but you're so right – teeth emergencies are horrible :(

      Delete
  6. Your pork loin looks succulent and delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Root canals are absolutely the worst--hope you feel better!

    But hey, pork... That looks mouthwatering. Enjoy your trip!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Danguole! Thanks so much for the words of encouragement and the wonderful comment! This pork dish is totally mouthwatering :)

      Delete
  8. Your pork loin looks professionally made my friend, wonderful job :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Uru! I'm happy that you like it so much. You're so sweet :)

      Delete
  9. Hi Dana! Lovely recipe - everyone can always use a Ina Garten/family dish. You pictures are always perfect, too.
    Enjoy your trip, and let me know when you're back and ready for a coffee date!

    Ashley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ashley! Thanks so much for stopping by! I agree; you can always use an Ina Garten dish. We had a great trip home and we really need to make time for a coffee date! :)

      Delete
  10. The recipes which you made are yummy. I will try with herbs and use it with in this recipe. Thank you for the great share i will be wait for your next post and i hope you will update this blog very soon. natural bulk herbs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Micheal! Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a nice comment! I think that you'll enjoy this recipe as much as I did :)

      Delete
  11. Lol, I stopped by to visit since I hadn't seen you around in a while! Hope you has a fabulous time in Romania! I happen to have some pork loin in my freezer as we speak...and I know what recipe I'll be using when I cook it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! :) I think that you'll love this pork recipe!

      Delete
  12. Hi Dana! OMG the pictures look great and now that I'm feeling better I can't wait to try your recipe next week! I hope you had a great time in Romania and didn't forget to bring us new recipes from your wonderful grandma Vicky :) Laura

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Laura! Thank you so much for the lovely comment! I hope you're feeling better, too. Let me know how the pork recipe turns out. And, yes, I definitely brought some new recipes from grandma Vicki :)

      Delete
  13. I just discovered your blog - what a great find! Beautiful photos and delicious-looking recipes! Thanks for sharing your talents!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Aimee! Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment! I'm so happy that you like my blog and photos :)

      Delete
  14. I looooooove pork!! especially with tons of yummy herbs chopped in. So good!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Kale! I love pork, too; and all these herbs go perfectly with it :)

      Delete
  15. This pork sounds amazing and your photos are lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thank you so much Cory for the wonderful comment! Greatly appreciate it! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have an 8# pork loin. How would I adjust the cooking time. I want it done, but not overcooked. Also--I would triple your recipe?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi and thank you so much for stopping by! Since you have an 8# pork loin, you will definitely have to cook it longer, but I would start checking after 90 minutes of cooking and if the instant-read thermometer registers 170°F when inserted into the thickest and meatiest areas of the pork, you should be fine! Also, I would not triple the recipe but I would double it given the size of the pork loin! Thank you for asking and please let me know how it turns out :)

      Delete
  18. My daughter made this recipe & it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The flavor was wonderful & every slice was delicious. She send me the link so I can cook it also. The pictures & instructions are awesome. I don't believe there is a bad recipe with pork but yours is exceptional. Thank you.
    Inez.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for the wonderful comment, Inez! I'm so happy to hear that both you and your daughter loved this recipe! It means a lot to me and I truly appreciate it! I love how it's a fairly easy recipe to make and very, very tasty :)

      Delete
  19. Thank you for the review. If anyone wishes to try these dishes at home, try pork cracklings wholesale for all your pork supplies.

    ReplyDelete
  20. This is wonderful! It is one of my favorites. Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so welcome, Rachel! Thank you so much for stopping by and for loving this recipe! It's one of my favorites too :)

      Delete
  21. Hi there! I featured this recipe on my healthy fall recipe round up today. Thanks for the great inspiration! http://physicalkitchness.com/healthy-paleo-fall-recipes/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chrissa! Thank you so much for including my recipe in your healthy fall recipe roundup! I greatly appreciate it and I feel so honored :)

      Delete
  22. i think I have made this at least 20 times now- everyone loves it, and we slice leftovers thin for sandwiches....so amazing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. now that pork cooking temps have changed, how long do you cook it for? Do you follow this recipe exactly? Sounds so good!

      Delete