Look, it’s meat! Growing up, I had a conflicted relationship with meat. Not in a Lisa Simpson sort of way, I just really disliked the taste and texture. I was the picky (and weird) kid at family gatherings who ate hot dog and hamburger buns with only ketchup. My mom considered it a minor victory that I ate chicken nuggets and Shake ‘n Bake chicken. Besides the strange phase in middle school where I’d request my mom to cook livers for me, I went through much of my life meat-free. And that was mostly because I had no idea meat could be served in a way that was appetizing (sorry, dad!).
I’ve since come to really like meat, but I mostly see it as a side dish or hide it in a soup or stew rather than treat it as the centerpiece of a meal (and if I didn’t live with Cory, I’d only eat meat a couple times a month). Every once in awhile though, I find a recipe that captures my culinary heart. When I saw this recipe for pork loin with cumin and paprika, I immediately left the house to buy pork. Once I popped the pork into the oven, it filled the apartment with the scents of cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. When I took it out of the oven, I stared at it in awe. Who knew pork loin could be so heavenly? I waited patiently for Cory to arrive home to finally dig in. This is definitely going to be my go-to pork loin recipe, for the times I start craving hunks of pork.
Oh, and before I share the recipe – I want reintroduce you to Evie the Corgi AKA Cory’s brother’s puppy. She is an angel from doggy heaven. The embodiment of all that is good in the world. The epitome of cuteness. When I first posted a picture of her two months ago, she was about 8 weeks old. Now she’s about 4 months. Before you know it, she’ll be voted prom queen and walking down the aisle. They grow up so fast… She lives all the way in Indiana, so we’ve yet to meet in person. But I have a feeling we’d be the best of buddies. Those big rabbit ears and stubby little legs, they kill me, I tell you. I feel like if I stare at pictures of her long enough, I’ll spontaneously combust from the cute overload.
Roasted Pork Loin with Cumin and Paprika
(adapted from One Tree Past the Fence)
Print this recipeFor the pork:
1 3/4-2 pounds boneless pork loin
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon grated cinnamonFor the sauce:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chicken or beef stock (or water and a splash of soy sauce)
2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraichePreheat oven to 375 F.
Rub the pork with generous amounts of pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Place the pork on an oven-proof skillet and brush the pork on all sides with the spice mixture. Heat the skillet over medium heat and cook the loin for a few minutes on all sides, or until no longer pink. Transfer the oven-proof skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the meat over and bake for another 10 minutes.
While the pork is in the oven, whisk together the mustard and garlic in a small bowl.
Remove the pork from the baking dish and transfer to a plate. At this point, you can either pour off the fat or leave it in the skillet. I left the fat in the skillet because pork fat is incredible and magically delicious. Heat the skillet over medium-low heat and add the stock, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom. Transfer the pork into the oven and bake for another 12 minutes, or until the meat thermometer reads 150 F.
Remove the pork from the skillet and heat the sauce. Stir in the sour cream or crème fraiche and mustard. Cut the meat into thin slices and serve with generous amounts of sauce.
Serves 4-6
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Tags: budget-friendly, dinner, pork
