Porkja-vu: Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin & Roasted Pork & Black Bean Chili

OK, I know, I've been a little obsessed with pork lately. But, it's so easy to make (especially the boneless tenderloin) and it's quick (only about 45 minutes at a high temperature roast). I made a Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin this week and had a lot leftover. Instead of eating the pork the same way for the whole week I found a great recipe for Roasted Pork and Black Bean Chili from Rachael Ray's Just in Time. The concept was hers, she has a recipe for a Roasted Pork Loin with gravy and roasted potatoes and veggies in her book. She then gives recipes for the leftovers for the 2nd night and third night. I didn't make the roast pork from her book, but rather did a balsamic glaze from a Google search. I came up with the following recipe, courtesy of Carla's Kitchen and adapted from a FoodTV recipe. It was fantastic. I ended up marinating it for 48 hours because I didn't have time to cook it when I thought I would. I threw in some fingerling potatoes for the last 20 or 25 minutes of roasting. I also cooked it at 500 degrees for about 45 minutes or to 140 on a meat thermometer. Here's the way I made it:

Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin

(adapted from foodtv.com and Carla's Kitchen)

3-4 lb whole pork loin

For marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium soy)

3 sprigs of rosemary

5 garlic cloves, halved

• Whisk together balsamic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs, and garlic.
• Put pork loin in a gallon sized freezer bag and pour marinade into the bag.
• Seal the bag with as little air as possible.
• Marinate for 2 hours (or 2 days in my case - LOL).
• Remove roast from marinade, do not discard the marinade.
• Roast in a 500 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until roast reaches 140 degrees.
• Pour marinade into a small saucepan.
• Bring the marinade to a boil (in order to kill bacteria).
• Reduce the heat to simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes. Reserve.
• In the last 10 or 15 minutes of roasting, brush reduced marinade onto pork loin.
• When you remove it from the oven, brush on one last coat of the glaze.

Here's what we did with the leftovers. I have to say this was AMAZING -- I've loved every recipe that I've made from this book. It was amazingly flavorful. I was a bit worried about the way that I cooked the pork blending with the flavors below but it was incredible. I'll definitely be making this again! The picture is lousy and doesn't do it justice, it looks like a bowl of tortilla chips!



Roasted Pork & Black Bean Chili
(from Rachael Ray's Just in Time)

2 TBSP of EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil), twice around the pan
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 bottle of beer, about 1 cup
3 cups of leftover gravy (see below for instructions to make the gravy)
2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained
5-6 cups of cooked pork chopped into bite-size pieces
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 cups crushed yellow or white corn tortilla chips
Sour cream, for garnish (optional)

For the gravy, place 3 TBSP of butter into a medium-sized saucepot over medium-high heat and melt it. Once it is melted add 2 garlic cloves grating them into the pot, and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 TBSP of flour and whisk together cooking for 1 minute. Whisk in a quart (4 cups) of chicken or vegetable stock, bring up to a bubble, and cook until thickened, 7-8 minutes. Reserve covered until ready to add to the chili.

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper, the chili powder, cumin, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the veggies start to get tender, then add the beer and cook for a minute more. Stir in the leftover gravy and the black beans and bring it up to a simmer. Add the cooked pork and cook to heat it through, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the lime zest and juice and stir to combine. Discard the bay leaf. Serve up the chili and top with some of the crushed tortillas and a dollop of sour cream.

"Kafka-esque" Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote

Barbara Kafka is an award-winning cookbook writer who has written amazing books. Some of her best are a book about cooking gourmet foods with a microwave (Microwave Gourmet), a fabulous cookbook about roasting (Roasting-A Simple Art), and a great book about cooking vegetables (Vegetable Love). I was first turned on to Barbara when I ate a roasted chicken made from one of her recipes that tasted like I never imagined chicken could taste. My mom, who is an excellent cook, has never quite got the hang of cooking chicken. Maybe it was the fear of E.Coli, but when Mom would cook chicken she would throw it in a pan and put it in a 350 degree oven until it was dry as a bone. Her roast beefs and steaks and turkeys are perfect, but chicken is not her thing. (Don't anyone tell her - thank God she doesn't use the internet)!

Kafka is an advocate for high temperature roasting (500 degrees) which leaves the meat amazingly tender and juicy. I made her Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote last weekend (from Roasting-A Simple Art) and it was good. I say good because I've been dealing with getting used to a new oven in the house I just moved into. I noticed that things seemed to be taking longer to cook than I am accustomed to so I purchased an in-oven thermometer. It confirmed that my oven was running cooler than the setting. I figured out how to adjust it the day I roasted the pork loin. I think I adjusted the temperature too high though because the pork was cooked a little more than I was expecting. Nonetheless it was delicious, and the roasted apple compote on the side is amazing. This is a really easy meal to make with a big-flavor pay-off in my opinion. I served it with a simple salad and some boiled fingerling potatoes. I did mix the optional cream and mustard into the roasted apples and it was amazing! Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Roast Pork Loin with Roasted Apple Compote
serves 6

• 2 1/4-pound boned and rolled pork loin (7 inches long)
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• 4 large (2 pounds) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil or other neutral oil
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, optional
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place loin in a 14x12x2-inch roasting pan. Rub salt all over loin. Smear mustard over top of loin. Roast for 20 minutes. Move the loin around with a wooden spatula so it won't stick. Roast 15 minutes more. Add the apples coated with lemon juice and oil, and collected juices. Spread out around the loin. Roast 10 minutes. Turn apples gently as they are soft. Roast 10 minutes more. In total the loin should roast for 50 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F. The meat might still be slightly pink, but this is fine. Don't overcook the roast, or it will be dry and unappealing. The apples will be dark brown and will have absorbed all the good juices.

Remove loin to a platter. Snip off strings. If using cream and mustard, combine and stir carefully into apples. Let meat rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Carefully remove apples with a metal spatula and place around roast. Deglaze the pan just to clean it as all the good bits are in the apples.