Herb-Marinated Loin of Pork

On January 26, 2009 · 1 Comment

herb-marinated pork loin

Believe it or not I made yet another Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten recipe from Back to Basics. I know, ANOTHER one! I just can’t help myself, everything in that book looks and sounds delicious and for the most part has worked out that way. At the rate I’m going I will have made every recipe in that book by May. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Before I declared my new desire to only buy “happy” meat I bought some “unhappy” pork loin that I stashed in my freezer. Pork loins are a great thing to have on hand. I don’t eat them that often but everytime I make one I make it a different way and it’s usually pretty quick. So lots of points for the pork loin.

This recipe was a simple one and for the most part involved things I already had on hand. I substituted the fresh rosemary for dried and instead of grilling the loin I pan seared it on all sides to brown it and then roasted it in the oven. Most excellent. The marinade was delicious and really infused the meat (granted I accidentally ended up letting it marinate for a day and a half…) and had an overall bright flavour. I probably could have eaten the whole thing by myself if that didn’t seem somewhat obscene.

I served this alongside mashed potatoes and creamed peas. I know, the creamed peas are kind of random. I needed a vegetable and started flipping through some Edna Lewis recipes when I came across the recipe for peas. What really sold me was that it involved chives and I happened to have some leftover chives in my fridge. I love it when a plan comes together!

Check out what others had to say about this recipe:
The Food of Love
Finer Kitchens

Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)

Herb-Marinated Pork Loin

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4-6 lemons)

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbs minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 1/2 tbs minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tbs chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

2-3 pork tenderloins, 1 lb each

freshly ground black pepper

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 tsp salt in a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze the air out of the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 3 hours. (I like to put the bag in a bowl, just in case).

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the grill. Be sure to brush the grillwith some oil to prevent the pork from sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 20 minutes–until the meat registers about 140 degrees at the thickest part.

Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. LET REST FOR AT LEAST 10 MINUTES.

Carve in 1/2 inch thick diagonal slices. The thickest part will be pink; this is just fine. The end parts will be well done–something for everyone. Serve with the juices that collect on the platter.

(From Back to Basics by Ina Garten)