Sunday Dinner: Loin of Pork With Fennel and Garlic

Pork happens to be one of my favorite meats. Yet strangely, I don't seem to eat it very often. I like the way the meat has a ton of flavor, and yet it doesn't feel too heavy. Tonight I'm hoping to fix up a loin of pork and chow down on a delicious feast. The flavor in this recipe comes from a fennel and garlic paste that is generously rubbed on the outside. After roasting for over an hour, the flavor is sure to penetrate through and make for a wonderful Sunday dinner. To get the recipe, just read more.

Note: This recipe is for a frenched bone-in loin, but if you can only find the boneless, I'm sure it will be quite tasty.

Loin of Pork With Fennel and Garlic
From Barefoot Contessa via Food Network

1 (5-pound) loin of pork, bone in,"frenched" and tied
6 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon zest (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Allow the pork to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Place the pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it comfortably.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade process the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest, and fennel seeds until roughly chopped. Add the olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper and process until it forms a smooth paste.
4. Rub the paste on top of the pork and roast for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
5. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board, and cover with aluminum foil.
6. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then remove the strings, slice between the bones and serve warm.

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