Outstanding! I found this recipe in The Silver Spoon Cookbook — a highly recommended book. The recipe calls for pork loin, but you could also use pork shoulder, butt, or tenderloin. Pork is a fabulous meat to braise or roast: it's easy to prepare and inexpensive compared to other meats, and the leftover ideas are plentiful!
While I mention pork tenderloin as an option, I prefer the shoulder, butt, or loin cuts, since they have more fat, which brings flavor and makes the juice!
This recipe is written for a 2-3 pound pork loin, but it’s flexible — you can adjust the size of the roast and scale the other ingredients accordingly.
Rather than following each step literally, think of this as a technique you can apply to many dishes. The method involves browning the meat; sautéing onions, garlic, and herbs; adding wine; and then braising.
The exact amounts of onion, garlic, herbs, or wine you use can vary depending on the size of the roast, what you have on hand, and your personal taste. Feel free to skip the onion or replace it with shallots, swap the herbs for thyme, or use chicken stock instead of wine.
This approach allows you to use your Kitchen Intuition to make the recipe your own, while mastering a versatile cooking technique.
Pork loin, 2-3 pounds
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped or thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Rosemary or sage
1 cup dry white wine
Sea salt & pepper
1 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Put 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep baking dish like a Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat.
Add the pork and cook, turning until golden brown all over.
Add the chopped or sliced onion and the rosemary or sage to the pan with the pork, and cook for about 4 minutes until the onions start to soften.
Add the garlic and cook for about 1 more minute.
Add the wine and cook for about 3 or 4 more minutes.
Season with sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Cover and simmer for about 1 1/4 hours.
Remove the pork from the pan and let it rest for about ten minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, stir the vinegar, Dijon, and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
Serve the sauce over the sliced meat and enjoy! Carrot purée or rice is a lovely and simple side to blend with the sauce.
Brasied Pork Loin with Carrot Purée
If you want a thicker sauce, remove the pork from the pan and set it aside (placing it on the lid of the pan is handy) and cook the sauce over medium-high heat until it reduces to a thicker richer sauce.
Use the leftovers for sandwiches, or chopped and tossed with pasta. The juice alone makes a fabulous and flavorful pasta sauce. You can also use the leftovers to warm in crepes or for tacos. I also freeze some so I have an easy meal ready to go later.
It's just as easy to make two as it is one.
And don't forgot, you can pack the pasta or sandwiches for a remarkable week of school lunches!
Leftovers packed to freeze. I use these containers from Amazon for freezing.
Sliced and ready to serve.
Sandwiches made with leftovers.
Use leftovers to make tacos. These tacos were made with roasted pork.
Toss leftovers with pasta.
Pasta pork and parsley.
Making two is as easy as making one!
