Roasted Bone-In Pork Loin

Fresh Majoram

We have excellent pork here at Agata & Valentina. Both Berkshire pork and our regular high-quality pork yield delicious, juicy results. We think the best way to enjoy the full flavor of pork is to roast the loin while it is still attached to the rack. A luscious, flavorful juice seeps into the meat from the surrounding bones, cartilage and layers of fat. Once you taste pork sliced right off the roasted rack, you will always want your pork chops cooked this way. This is a really easy preparation - just be sure not to overcook. Our homemade veal stock and veal demi-glace help create an excellent pan sauce with very little effort. Blend with our richly flavored homemade chicken stock and swirl in a little butter for extra body.

Serves: 6
Ingredients:

1 bone-in pork roast (6 chops, approx. 4 lbs.)

5 large garlic cloves (2 slivered and 3 minced)

2 tbs. chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme and marjoram combined)

1 tbs. honey mustard

2 tbs. olive oil

1 tbs. sea salt

Crushed black pepper to taste

1 cup A&V veal stock (approx.8 oz.) or ½ cup A&V veal demi-glace (about 4 oz.) 1 container A&V chicken stock (about 14 oz.)

2 tablespoons sweet butter

2 tbs. chopped Italian parsley

Directions:

Make slits all around pork roast and insert garlic slivers.
Combine fresh chopped herbs, honey mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper in bowl and blend to form a paste. Slather this paste on meaty top and sides of pork. Let roast stand at room temperature for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put roasting pan inside oven to pre heat.

After 10 or 15 minutes, pull hot pan out of oven (be sure to use oven mitts) and place pork in it, fat side up. Sear for 10 minutes in hot oven, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Cook about 50 minutes more, or until instant read thermometer (inserted deeply into the roast, not near a bone) shows a temperature of 155 degrees. Remove pork roast from oven and place on cutting board. Tent with foil and let sit 10 minutes, until temperature comes up to 160 degrees. It will be just cooked through but still slightly pink and juicy.
In the meantime place roasting pan on top of stove burners. Turn heat on low and add veal stock or demiglace and chicken stock. Cook, scraping browned bits up from the bottom with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula until liquid reduces by half and you have a nice brown pan sauce. Swirl in butter and add 3 tbs. of the chopped parsley.

Slice chops. Meat should be very slightly pink inside and juicy. Spoon a little pan sauce onto bottom of each dish and place 1 chop on top. Sprinkle a pinch more parsley as a garnish.