Herbed Pork Roast with Roasted Tomatoes and Caramelized Leeks and Onions

The past week has been a long exercise in patience.  I've had neither interest nor inclination to cook because my dining room is a mess.  We had hardwood laid down in the dining room and it's a disaster.  There's glue reside all over the floor and when the idiots who laid the floor down put the quarter round up, they didn't miter the corners. They simply stuck one piece of molding on top of the other.  It's the sort of half assed job you'd expect from an amateur -- I could have done a better job.  Our contractor was as horrified as we are by his sub-contractors.  I think his words when he saw it were, "This is the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen."  Yeah.  Me too.  He's going to make it right.  But the eyesore connected to the kitchen is causing me great anxiety and homicidal angst.  It's not very conducive to cooking.

During our trip to Napa, Kellie and I joined several wine clubs, including Robert Sinskey Vineyards.  Every shipment of wine also includes a gift and a recipe created by the vineyard's culinary director, Maria Helm Sinskey.  Earlier this week, a box arrived from the vineyard -- two bottles of their Pinot Noir and a jar of smoked sea salt, and a recipe for an herbed pork roast. 

I admit I was a little let down.  I'm not a fan of pork chops or pork roasts.  I guess mainly because all the pork I've ever eaten has been dry and bland.  The other white meat indeed -- it seems to take on the flavor of its sauce rather than standing on its own.  But the pictures Chef Sinskey's creation looked too wonderful to pass up.  And I thought, well, this is created especially for the wine -- and she would know better than I what to make for a wine pairing.  I showed Hubby the picture and he nodded enthusiastically.  So yesterday, while out shopping I picked up a pork loin. 

On the way to see the latest X-Men movie I read the recipe, which looked surprisingly simple (non sequitur:  I can't believe they took one of the best stories in graphic noveldom [Phoenix/Dark Phoenix] and turned it to utter crap.  Have I mentioned before that I'm a comic book geek?)  The recipe called on the smoked sea salt and the sweet, caramelized vegetables to carry through the flavors. 

I was skeptical.  And now I'm a believer.  I put both vegetables (adding leeks to the recipe which only called for onions) and loin in the same roasting pan and the roast came out succulent and tender, while the vegetables were sweet and smoky.  Sliced thinly and served with a sprinkling of the smoked sea salt, we were shocked by how wonderful it paired with the wine.  The smoked sea salt simply lifted the flavor and made the Pinot come alive.

"Man, this would be great sprinkled on a molten chocolate cake," I said after I finished a second helping.

Hubby paused.  "Go to it, woman."

Luckily molten chocolate cake doesn't take but 45 minutes from start to finish.  And topped with the smoked sea salt -- astonishing.

This got me to thinking.  I belong to several other wine clubs.  Every one comes with a recipe specifically designed to pair with the wine.  Maybe it's time to start cooking again.  Especially since I have about 100 bottles in the wine fridges right now...

Herbed Pork Roast with Roasted Tomatoes and Caramelized Leeks and Onions

(from Maria Helm Sinskey)

Serves 6

2 1/2 - 3 pound pork loin roast
extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 4-inch fresh rosemary branches
6 sprigs fresh thyme
Smoked Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Rub the pork loin with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Tie the pork roast with string and tuck the herbs under the string.  Heat a 12 inch saute pan over medium heat.  Add 1 T of olive oil to the pan.  Brown the roast on all sides.  Place the pan in the oven and roast for 50 minutes or until a thermometer reads 140 degrees F (it's usually recommended to cook pork to an internal temperature of 160 F for safety).  Remove the roast from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.  It should continue to cook and raise the internal temperature 5 to 10 degrees.  Slice the roast thinly and sprinkle with the smoked sea salt.

Roasted Tomatoes and Caramelized Onions (and Leeks)

2 medium yellow onions
3 medium tomatoes, ripe and firm
3 T extra virgin olive oil
Smoked Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel the onions and cut into quarters.  Bring a medium pot of water to boil.  Core the tomatoes and make an X on the bottom.  Place the tomatoes int he boiling water and blanch for 10 to 30 seconds to loosen the skins.  Remove from the pot and shock them in an ice bath.  Remove the skins and cut the tomatoes in half horizontally.  Gently squeeze to remove the seeds. Cut the white parts of the leeks and slice lengthwise.  Agitate in cold water to remove the dirt.

Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium heat and add 1 T of olive oil.  Add the onions and leeks and brown on all sides.  Season with the smoked salt and pepper.  Remove the pan from heat and add the tomato halves cut sides up.  Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the vegetables and season again with smoked sea salt.  Place thyme sprigs on top of the vegetables and roast in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions and leeks are caramelized and soft and the tomatoes are slightly puckered.  If the pan becomes dry before the vegetables are fully cooked, add a little water to prevent the juices from burning.

Remove the thyme stems from the pan and finish with more smoked sea salt.

Comments

[Gabriella True]

okay. you have done it now.

I must get my greedy little hands on that smoked salt.

I used to cook lots of pork roast-not the little tenderloin-when I was teaching myself to cook bc, well, it was cheap. And you are right, it can taste just like the sauce. But. mixed with a little fines herbs and you are good to go.

And you must roast the veggies at the same time as the meat. MUST. All the juices meld together perfectly. In the winter, you must try it with carrots, parsnips and some rutabagas. You will be in heaven. I don't think I like rutabagas any other way.

so I emailed my SIL and asked her to find me that salt. I know it is from Spain but she is going to France this week and maybe she can get me a French version. She owns a great online store. www.splendidpalate.com which is where I started to write recipes. that was before I had the twins.

anyhoo. Great post.

[Cissa Fleming]

Cathy, I must confess that the smell of the pork roast was wonderful and tempting! I really sorry we had told Stephen's mother we would be there for dinner, but she and the other members of the family/friends were so happy we speeded our trip back just to be with them... it was one of that priceless moments!
Where is the recipe of the molten chocolate cake? The link is not working (at least in my computer).
Love,
Cissa

[Ange]

Well it looks fantastic, bet it was delicious

[Geneve]

I'm am SO intrigued by the smoked sea salt! I love the idea of pairing it with the molten cake. I make moltons all the time for company and I can imagine the salt brings out the flavor of the chocolate and the sweetness too. How creative!
Also, regarding the guy who did your floors - we had the same thing happen to us. How frustrating! Ugh.

[wendy doo]

the pork and melted veggies was a big hit in the m+w house hold last night. i didn't have smoked salt so i used course hawaiian red salt instead. can't wait to have this dish with the real deal!

[cath]

Gabriella, thanks so much! You're so sweet. Thanks for the link -- I'll definitely check that out! Also, if you can't find the sea salt, let me know and I'll ask the vineyard where we can purchase some...

Cissa, I was sorry you guys couldn't stay but I we'll do it again soon! The link should be fixed now -- let me know if you have problems with it again!

Ange, it was very yummy!

Geneve, oh it was so good with the molten chocolate cake. So we're in week 3 of the floor hell cycle. Make it stop...

Wen, cuz, so glad to hear it was a hit! You gotta find the smoked salt -- the scent and flavor are unbelievable...can't wait to get together and cook soon.

[Joyce]

Sur La Table stores (not sure about web site) just started carrying the Matiz smoked salt. It's about $13 for the jar seen in the picture. Yummmy.

[cath]

Joyce, thanks so much for the heads up! I've been using it liberally with a bunch of dishes and wondering how I was going to replace it...