Mrs. Regueiro's Plate: Herb-Crusted Pork Loin

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Herb-Crusted Pork Loin

Another successful Wednesday cooking night and dinner at the Chen's last night. My girlfriend, Angel and I, made this dinner for everyone. Well in fact, Angel did all the preparation work and I supervised because we had made this a previous time. Her husband fell in love with this dish a couple weeks ago when he requested pork chops for dinner.

I found this recipe on the Food Network and I liked the recipe because of the simple ingredients available from my pantry and garden. I substituted the cilantro for parsley and lime for lemon, and paired it with roasted apples. The pairing of cumin and cinnamon may seem a little odd, but I like the earthiness of cumin and the sweet fragnance of cinnamon. This is definitely a keeper in my recipe books!
Photo updated 4/18/2011
Herb-Crusted Pork Loin
Adapted from Melissa d'Arabian
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or more, to taste
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds pork loin roast
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Herb Crust:
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 bunch fresh italian parsley or cilantro
1 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
Kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Place the the pork loin on a large jelly roll sheet and rub the mixture all over the outside of the pork.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sear the pork roast on all sides, just until golden.
Remove and place the pork back on the sheet tray.

In a food processor, combine the onions, garlic, ginger, italian parsley and lemon zest and pulse until fully combined. In the same saute pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat the onion mixture until slightly softened. Stir in the bread crumbs and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Spread the dijon mustard on top of the pork and then gently press the herb crust into it.

Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven when fully cooked and place the pork loin on a cutting board and allow to rest, covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice the roast, arrange on a serving platter and serve.


Review: Such an amazing pork loin, it's perfectly juicy. The flavorful herb-crust on top of the dijoned juicy pork loin is spot-on. This will be added to the kitchen staple recipes, because it's easy to prepare and a great family dinner.
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