11-26…PENNE WITH LEFTOVER PORK LOIN, VEGGIES,& ARUGULA PESTO

The challenge tonight was leftover pork loin with assorted veggies and a container of arugula that needed to be used.



INGREDIENTS:

For the pesto…arugula, almonds, olive oil, garlic, and parmigiano reggiano cheese



For the rest of the sauce…Pork loin plus the veggies roasted with it (white and sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, and onion. Added to this, fresh asparagus.

PROCESS:

This was pretty straight forward…cut up the pork and toss it in a pan with some olive oil and the cut up asparagus and cook until the meat begins to brown. Next, add the rest of the veggies plus a splash of sweet vermouth and simmer. when the pasta is done add it to the pan, mix well with some pasta water if needed, and drizzle with olive oil.


The pesto added per individual taste.

COMMENTS:

We really enjoyed this. I was pleased with the way a dollop of the pesto added to the flavor of the dish. By itself the arugula pesto is rather tart.

9-17 LEMON GARLIC PORK LOIN W NOODLES

OK…we’re doing things a little differently tonight. A pork loin has been sitting in my freezer since just before I started this pasta nonsense, and it has to be used, so here’s the plan: I’ll roast the pork along with veggies and tomatoes and serve along side a bed of egg noodles.



INGREDIENTS:

Egg noodles
Pork loin
New potatoes and sweet potatoes…cut into bite size pieces
Carrots
Onion
Garlic
Dry basil and oregano
Fresh tomatoes, quartered and peeled
Sundried tomato pesto
Olive oil
Butter

PROCESS:



The pork loin was rubbed with lemon juice and garlic and placed in a shallow baking dish. The veggies were cut and placed around the meat. Everything was drizzled with olive oils, salted, and placed in the oven set at 375 degrees and cooked for a little over 45 minutes.

The noodles were cooked and served with a pad of butter and just a bit of olive oil.

COMMENTS:

I decided to add the sundried tomato pesto about halfway through the roasting, hoping to create just a bit of “juice”. This was a fun way to present pork loin. The next time I might replace the fresh tomatoes with a can of dice tomatoes to get more moister in the dish.