A delicious anytime dinner or a Holiday Table idea…
Ingredients
3 lb boneless pork loin
3 pears, halved leaving stem on, Bosc works nicely
1 bulb garlic 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
FHF extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 375F.
Pull apart the garlic bulb into cloves. Set all but one large one aside. Peel and finely chop the large clove. Sprinkle a large cutting board generously with salt and pepper. Roll the loin around in the salt, pepper, and garlic until it is well coated.
Heat a skillet over medium – high heat and sear the loin on all sides un- til it becomes brown and a little crusty. Remove the loin from the pan and place into a baking dish or a large Dutch oven. (Or if your skillet is oven safe, leave it in the pan).
Surround the loin with the halved pears, whole cloves of unpeeled garlic, and onion wedges. Remove the leaves from the herbs and sprinkle over the loin. Drizzle everything with the extra virgin olive oil.
Place in the oven and cook for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes or until your meat thermometer reads 145F (the newly approved USDA cook temp for loin).
This writer ate the pork along side chanterelles sautéed with shallots, herbs, and wine and buttery polenta.
