It’s been a rough week over here, considering all of the craziness going on in the world. To add to that (in a far less significant amount of frustration than the current events), none of the recipes that I tested for the blog worked out at all.  But, after several misses in the dinner department, I finally got a hit! 

This pork is seasoned with a rub of earthy, herbaceous rosemary, spicy harissa paste, and pungent garlic.  All of those strong flavors are rubbed onto the outside of the pork loin and baked together to form an excellent amount of seasoning for the meat when it’s sliced.  The flavors are strong but they are only on the surface, so they season each bite perfectly as you eat.

I’ve been buying the pork loin from Trader Joe’s a lot recently.  They are nice and small (about a pound each), super cheap (about $3.50-$4.50 each!), and cook up relatively quickly (about 30 minutes in the oven for the whole thing).  They are also super versatile – you can roast them whole as I did here, or cut them into pieces and cook in chunks for tacos or stir fry.  They are the perfect size for the two of us to have a very nice dinner with some leftovers, which I think is a great value.  Highly recommend if you see these next time you are shopping for a cheap and versatile protein source.

The link for the pork loin will take you to another fun recipe posted on the Trader Joe’s website, and my recipe is below!  If you don’t eat meat, this flavor combo would be awesome on some baked tofu or even mixed into chickpeas.  This flavor combo would also work nicely with chicken if you don’t eat pork.  So crack open that random jar of harissa paste that’s been in your fridge forever and let’s get cooking!

Pork Loin with Harissa and Rosemary

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp harissa paste
• 2 tsp rosemary, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, grated or chopped very fine
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1 lb pork loin

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Trim the pork loin of any fat or silver skin, which could cause the pork to become tough when cooking.
3. Add harissa paste, rosemary, garlic, salt, and olive oil to a bowl, mix to combine.
4. Using a spoon, your hands, or a silicone brush, cover the pork loin thoroughly in harissa mixture.
5. Place pork loin on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and place in the oven to cook.  
   1. Cook pork for about 25 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reads 165F when taken with an instant-read thermometer.
6. When cooked, remove the pork from the oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
7. Move pork loin to a cutting board and slice into 1 inch thick slices.  Serve and enjoy!