Holiday Recipes Linky Party!

I shared this recipe for the Home For The Holidays Link Party recently and I’m glad I get to share it again with you for Karianne at Thistlewood Farm!
Honest, Karianne….you can make this…

This has to be one of the easiest main dishes I’ve ever made. This is elegant enough for company and will cook while you’re at work or out shopping for the day! You can have this in the oven in about 1/2 hr.

I saw this on TV a few years ago and I’ve made it ever since. Pork loin is often pretty cheap at this time of year because hogs are slaughtered in the winter and the price drops due to abundance. I will buy a couple full pork loins (about 10 lbs each) and cut them in half and freeze them. Unless they are roasted with some moisture however, they are pretty dry. We suffered with dry pork roast for years until I found this recipe….in fact, I had stopped buying them completely because I had never found a recipe that resulted in such flavor and moistness…..until now.

Slow Cooked Pork Loin
(courtesy of Michael Chiarello)

One (aproximately) 4.5 lb boneless pork loin. 
2 large onions
3 stalks of rosemary
3 cloves fresh garlic or 1 tsp jarred, minced garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil

Turn the oven on to 275 degrees

Thinly slice the onions and using a bit of olive oil, you’re going to caramelize them in a saute pan

Add the garlic too

Use a medium- high heat to get a bit of color on the onions without burning any, which will make them taste bitter. 
Once you’ve gotten them started, turn them down a bit and do some other prep. Stir them now and then.

Pull the leaves off the stem and chop the rosemary finely. Rosemary is a woody plant and you can cook it until the Chick-Fil-A cows get off the billboard and it will NEVER be tender….chop it up…you’ll be happier…

See? Happy rosemary…..

Add it to the onions, which should be almost done….

Season the onions with some salt and pepper and turn them off.
Now prepare the pork loin.
Line a baking pan with aluminum foil.

Using a sharp knife, cut just under the pad of fat on the top of the roast. Not too thick….about 1/2 inch maybe. Cut through leaving a long “hinge” attached along one side. Fold it back and season the roast with some salt and pepper.

Pile on the caramelized onions…..

Fold the flap back over the onions…

Wrap the foil tightly around the meat…..

Put it in the 275 degree oven and go to work! It can cook from 6-8 hrs.

If you’re a new cook, or don’t think you can do anything “fancy”, this recipe is for you. It’s super easy and tastes fantastic. Nice and moist and flavorful!

Serve it with this easy to do garnish….

Roasted Mincemeat Peaches

canned peach halves
 jarred mincemeat

Years ago I went to a luncheon at someone’s home and she served these. They were wonderful tasting and looked SO pretty. I’ve been making them ever since. You can do it too!

Drain the peach halves on a cake rack for several hours…do it before bed the night before!

Heat a grill pan and add the peaches when the pan is nice and hot. This makes them look pretty and adds good flavor too.

Remove them when done to your liking.

Put them in some muffin cups (they’re slippery little devils I’ve found, and they need corralling). Put a dollop of mincemeat in each hollow.

Put them in the fridge before you go out. When the roast is done, take it out and put the peaches in the oven to get hot or slip them in before you even are ready to take out the roast…like while you answer emails or help someone with homework. It’s almost impossible to burn this meal.

Take out the roast and peel back the foil….that looks good doesn’t it? The smell is fantastic!

Transfer to a serving plate and get those peaches right alongside….

This roast won’t slice. It’s so tender, it’s more like pulled pork. So just use a meat fork and work off nice big pieces for serving. There is plenty of liquid there too if you’re inclined to make gravy…I don’t usually. I serve it often with oven roasted potatoes but you can serve it with just about anything you might like and it’s still just great. 

A wonderful, elegant dish for the holidays!