Pork Loin with Blood Orange Salsa
Ever found a recipe that sounds like the perfect meal but then discovered there’s one major ingredient that you’re allergic to so you can’t have it after all? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a great cookie, cocktail, or entree that looks delicious and then come to find it’s made with pineapple making it impossible for me to eat. Yup, I’m allergic to pineapple. It sucks. Especially when I’m on vacation on a tropical island somewhere. But the good thing about cooking, is you can make up stuff as you go. You can start with a recipe and add or cut ingredients as you see fit. So, hopefully by the end of the cooking process, you have a dish that’s just as good, if not better than the original.
That’s what I did here. This recipe called for pineapple. Since we all know that won’t work for me, I looked for an alternative. Thanks to my favorite book, The Flavor Bible, I found one: the blood orange. Upon reading this awesome book, I realized the blood orange could be substituted for the pineapple and you’d still get a great dinner. The Bible isn’t your standard cookbook, though. It lists every possible ingredient you could ever use and tells you all the other ingredients that go with it. Other than the pineapple, the original recipe called for pork, maple syrup, pineapple juice, cilantro, scallions and coriander. According to the Bible, all those ingredients go with oranges as well. Since I’m not allergic to oranges, and I love them, I thought it’d be the perfect substitution.
I didn’t want to use any old orange though. We’re right in the middle of citrus season, and blood oranges are one of my favorite oranges. So, I chose to replace the pineapple with two blood oranges. The end result was amazing. I not only got the sweet orange juice for the glaze on the pork, but the sections made a wonderful salsa that could easily go with chicken or fish as well. I know it may seem like an odd choice to switch the sweet pineapple for the tangy orange, but the tang from the oranges actually ties the whole dish together, making for a great dinner any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 3 pound boneless pork loin
- 3 blood oranges
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Place the garlic in a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle with salt and mash into a paste. Transfer to a small bowl. Stir in the oil, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of salt.
- Place the loin on a large rimmed baking sheet, pat dry with paper towel and rub all over with the garlic mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 1 - 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roast the pork for 50 minutes or until a thermometer reads 130 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the loin.
- While the pork cooks, juice 2 of the oranges to get a 1/2 cup of orange juice. Combine the juice with the syrup in a small sauce pan over medium heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, about 12 minutes. Pour all but 2 tablespoons into a bowl and set aside. (This will be the glaze for the pork.)
- Peel the 3rd orange, then slice over the saucepan, to catch the juice. Place the chunks of orange in a 2nd bowl and set aside.
- Add the vinegar, shallot and a pinch of salt to the saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the chunks of orange along with the white parts of the scallion and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Once the pork reaches 130 degrees, brush it with the orange glaze. Continue to roast another 20 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees, brushing with the glaze every 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Once you're ready to serve the pork, stir the scallion greens and cilantro into the salsa. Slice the pork and serve with the salsa.
