You know, for posterity. I made this one up, based on all my hours of Food Network watching.
1 pork loin (3-4 lbs)
olive oil
three cloves garlic, chopped (or 1-2 tbls of the jar stuff)
three small brown yellow or brown onions, sliced thick - chunky
couple splashes of wine - I used a rosé
couple pads of butter
two fennel bulbs
two apples, chopped (I used Fiji)
about one tbls of freshly chopped sage and thyme
salt and pepper, obv
couple tbls flour
Okay.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Coat the pork loin in a little olive oil and the garlic. Salt and pepper very generously. Let the pork rest for about a half hour to get the chill off.
Meanwhile, heat the rest of your olive oil in a large dutch oven or other oven-safe pan. Add ONE of the brown onions and cook until a little soft. Add pork and sear on each side, 2-3 minutes. Add a few splashes of wine or chicken stock to get any brown bits. Simmer for about five minutes. Remove from stove and place in oven, covered, for about 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
Remove from oven. Remove pork and onion from pan, and tent with tin foil to keep warm (I put it in my warming drawer, if you have one).
The pan should be full of yummerly juices.
Here's how Ina says to cut the fennel: Remove the stems of the fennel and slice the bulb in half lengthwise. With the cut side down, slice the bulb vertically into 1/2-inch-thick slices, cutting right through the core.
Melt two pads of butter in the pan juices.
Add the fennel, apple, two remaining onions, and some salt and pepper to the pan and cook until just soft, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and tent to keep warm.
Add a bit more wine or stock to the pan, plus any juices that have collected under the pork loin. Season to taste. Add a couple spoonfuls of flour and whisk until a nice gravy forms. At the last moment, throw in the sage and thyme.
Slice pork loin and serve over the fennel mixture with the gravy.
You might want to have a green salad or make another green vegetable, as the whole meal, while delicious, is a bit beige.
Also, the first meal I ever cooked for my now most certainly future in-laws, the Pittseseses:
Lamb Daube and an attempt at Coco's green salad, approximate recipe follows:
Mixed Spring greens
4-5 Green onions, chopped
2-3 Tablespoons of capers
2 avocados, chopped
juice of two lemons
handful of basil
Combine, toss, enjoy!
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