Portuguese Roast Pork Loin

Portuguese Roast Pork LoinRecipe by Dragon
Photos by Dragon & Peter Minaki
This is my favourite way to roast pork. The flavours are entirely Portuguese with the exception of the thyme (my little French addition). I recently served this roast pork as the entree for a Portuguese dinner. It turned out flavourful & moist and it didn't fail to impress. I served it with a saffron rice and simple green beans.

Don't skip the gravy, it's a must! Even though I say the cream is optional, go ahead and use it..."Everything in moderation, including moderation." as my beloved, Julia Child used to say. Enjoy!

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 dried piri piri pepper, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
3 cups Vinho Verde or a dry white wine
3 lb center cut boneless pork loin, rolled & tied

1 large carrot, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 small onion, cut into chunks
1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
3 cups chicken stock, divided
3 tablespoons flour (might need more)
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Using a mortar and pestle (or a food processor), blend the first 10 ingredients together into a paste.

2. Rub the paste evenly over the pork loin. Place the pork in a medium shallow bowl (preferably one with a lid) and pour the wine over and around the pork. The wine should come half way up the pork sides. Cover the pork and refrigerate.

3. The pork needs to marinate for at least 24 hours and for best results, 48 hours. Turn the pork loin several time during the marinating process.

4. Take the pork out of the refrigerator a 1/2 hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 475F.

5. Place the pork (reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade) fat side up on the rack of your roasting pan. Add the carrots, celery, onion, apple, the reserved marinade and 1 cup of the chicken stock to the roasting pan.

6. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and roast until the internal temperature of the pork is 145-150F (about 1 1/2 hours). Baste the pork with the pan juices several times during the roasting period.

7. Remove the pork from the roasting pan and let it rest on a plate. Remove and butcher's string used to tie the pork, then cover with tin foil to keep it warm.

8. To make the gravy, discard the carrot, celery, onion and apple chunk. Carefully remove some of the fat from the pan juices in the roasting pan.

9. Over medium heat on the stove top (you might require two burners if your roasting pan is large), add the flour evenly over the pan juices and using a whisk, blend it into the pan juices. Slowly add the remaining chicken stock (only use as much as you need to get your preferred consistency for the gravy).

10. When the gravy is at your preferred consistency, add the fresh thyme leaves, honey, juices from the resting pork and the heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Strain the gravy and keep it warm until you're ready to serve along with the pork.


5 comments:

  1. I'm a sucker for that gorgeous, cracking crust of herbs & spices on a pork roast. Drooling just looking at this one. *yum*

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  2. The aroma of this pork loin first gets you, then the moist pork meat with the marinade and crust penetrating the meat and finally...that dreamy, creamy gravy!

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  3. Mmmmm! That looks incredibly tasty! Thanks so much for sharing :)

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  4. The pork is cooked in perfection. I love the color in the inside. I am impressed with this one.

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  5. The subject of this week's Food on Friday on Carole's Chatter is Pork. It would be great if you linked this in. This is the link .

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