Louisiana Style Braised Pork Loin (p.169)

Since I am in Louisiana speaking at the Northern Louisiana Medical Center Resource event tomorrow, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Louisiana Style recipes!  This is a Sunday dinner favorite at my house.  We discovered this recipe from Landry’s Cafe in Lafayette. We absolutely loved the pork roast that we had there so I couldn’t help but ask the chef what her secret was to such a perfect pork roast. She smiled and came back with the Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning.  Back home, I used trial and error until my friends and family declared the recipe just right!  I hope you love it as much as we do!

Makes 8-10 servings

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 (3-4 pound) boneless pork loin roast

1 small white onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons canola oil

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Dash of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce (optional)

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix the onion and bell pepper in a small bowl.  Sprinkle generously with the Creole seasoning.  Add 3 tablespoons of the canola oil and mix.

3.  With a sharp knife, cut four or five crosswise slits in the top of the roast, each about 1 1/2 inches deep.  Place the roast in a dutch oven or a roasting pan.  Stuff the onion-pepper mixture into the slits.  Rub any excess over the roast.

4.  Pour the broth into the pan, but not over the roast.

5.  Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil and roast 1 to 1 1/2 hours, to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Remove to a cutting board; cover with foil to keep warm.

6. To make gravy, place the pan with the chicken broth and meat juices over medium-high heat.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup canola oil and the flour until the mixture is very smooth, the consistency of pancake batter.  Whisk the mixture into the broth, stirring until the gravy boils and thickens.  Season generously with additional Creole seasoning and add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet, if desired.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  The gravy should have the consistency of heavy cream.

7. Slice the roast, transfer the meat to a serving platter, add drizzle gravy over the slices or pour it into a gravy bowl and pass with the roast.

Serve with Classic Mashed Potatoes (p. 211) and a hot cooked vegetable – buttered carrots, green beans, or any souther vegetable, such as collard greens or turnips.  This is also good served with tossed green salad and Buttermilk Corn Bread (p. 241)

Enjoy!

OX THE FOOD NANNY