January can be a glum time. Coming back from the holidays to find an empty fridge provides little inspiration. Turning to the freezer, buried beneath the bread and fish fingers, I found a few packs of meat I'd bought whilst on offer and frozen for another day. I got this piece of free range pork loin, weighing 500g and enough to feed two, for just £2.34!
Almost all the recipes for roast pork that I could find are for a large roasting joints, but I came across one by a lady called Jessica on this blog that is perfect for a smaller cut.
Almost all the recipes for roast pork that I could find are for a large roasting joints, but I came across one by a lady called Jessica on this blog that is perfect for a smaller cut.
For 2
Heat the oven to 190C and set a pan on the hob over a medium with some olive oil. Now prepare the pork. Following the recipe's suggestion, I cut away the skin and a bit of the underlying fat - as it's a small piece of meat, it won't in the oven long enough to form proper cracking. Season the meat, place it fat-side-down in the pan and sear it until the outer layer of fat is brown and crispy. Then sear the other sides until it’s nicely browned all around. |
Once the pork is nice and brown all over, remove it from the pan and set aside. Leave the fat in the pan as it will add great flavour to the gravy later. Add the finely diced the carrot, onion and celery and add to the pan that the pork was cooked in together with the bay leaves. Gently fry for 10 mins or so. When they're done, place the diced veg in the bottom of a small roasting tray and lay the pork on top. Pour the stock over the vegetables and place the tray in the oven and roast the whole lot for about 35 minutes.
After this time, the pork should be nicely cooked and the fluid slightly reduced. Take the meat out of the tray, cover it loosely with foil and set it aside in a warm place to rest. You could very well serve the veg and sauce as it is and it would be delicious. But to make a richer gravy, you can reduce it further. Heat a saucepan and melt the knob of butter. Add the tablespoon of flour and stir in until there are no lumps. Pour the veg and any juices and let it bubble away for a bit to thicken.
By the time your gravy is done, your pork will be ready to go. Carve it into slices and serve. We had this with some roasted new potatoes, broccoli and a simple slaw.
After this time, the pork should be nicely cooked and the fluid slightly reduced. Take the meat out of the tray, cover it loosely with foil and set it aside in a warm place to rest. You could very well serve the veg and sauce as it is and it would be delicious. But to make a richer gravy, you can reduce it further. Heat a saucepan and melt the knob of butter. Add the tablespoon of flour and stir in until there are no lumps. Pour the veg and any juices and let it bubble away for a bit to thicken.
By the time your gravy is done, your pork will be ready to go. Carve it into slices and serve. We had this with some roasted new potatoes, broccoli and a simple slaw.