Roast Pork Loin with Pineapple-Raisin Sauce

I like pigs. They're cute, chubby, seem to have a sweet enough disposition, and they taste so good! They give us bacon in the mornings, ham during the holidays, and delicious pork loins, ribs and chops the rest of the time. And the best part is that a lot of these cuts of meat are lean and quite healthy in moderation. Sorry vegetarians, but I just don't see myself splitting up with meat any time soon, 'specially the delicious pig!

I absolutely loved this combination of savory garlicky pork covered in this tangy sweet sauce. The sauce was very reminiscent of a chutney to me, and I couldn't get enough of it. I started out with a thin layer on my pork, but the more I ate the more I piled on, the flavor is just delicious. If you don't like fruit with your meat, might I suggest leaving the sauce out and just trying the pork loin. After inserting entire garlic cloves and coating with herbs, the pork itself is just lovely. Enjoy!



Roast Pork Loin with Pineapple-Raisin Sauce
Cuisine Magazine December 2010

Ingredients

1 2-3 lb pork loin roast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. dried thyme
3 cloves garlic, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste

SAUCE:
1 8 oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 with oven rack in center position. Line a shallow roasting pan with foil. Let pork roast stand at room temp 30 minutes.

Combine oil, rosemary, sage and thyme in a small bowl.

Pierce top of pork to make six slits 2-inches apart on either side. Insert garlic half into each slit.

Score top of pork by cutting in a crisscross pattern. Rub herb mixture onto pork.

Roast pork 20 minutes, then flip and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the pork registers 145 and meat is slightly pink, 20 minutes more. Remove pork from pan, tent with foil and let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Stir together pineapple and brown sugar for the sauce in a small sauce-pan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, 3 minutes. Add raisins and ginger.

Whisk cornstarch and broth together, then slowly add to pineapple, stirring constantly. bring sauce to a boil until thickened. Stir in vinegar and serve with pork roast.

Per Serving: 236 cal, 6g fat, 25g carb, 1g fiber, 19g prot