Mojo Marinated Pork Roast

Yesterday I shared the tablescape from our family Valentine's Day dinner from earlier this month. You can check it out here.

Here's a look at the menu I chose.

Refrigerator Salad

Mojo Marinated Pork Roast

Cheesy Green Chile Rice

Green Beans

Raspberry Mousse

We lovvvvvve pork, and the picture I found of this recipe on pinterest was so beautiful, I knew I had to make it. Here's a link, but please know I never follow recipes exactly. I use what I have, substitute when needed, and if I like an ingredient, I'll add more. 

Zest an orange.

Juice the orange. I got about 1/2 cup of juice.

OK - people either LOVE or HATE cilantro. I happen to love it. And though my family doesn't know they like it (and would probably deny liking it!), they love salsa that contains it. If you don't love it, you might need to keep walking. This recipe might not be for you! But if you don't know if you do, or don't have an opinion, give it a try. This is so good!

Pull the leaves off the stem and rough chop the cilantro. I used a bout half a bunch.

I think it called for nine cloves of garlic. I love garlic and some of my nine cloves were really the size of two! Use what you like.

It's winter now (yes, even in Alabama!), and so the only fresh herb I have right now is rosemary. I found these small packages of fresh herbs at Winn Dixie. They are only $1! That's great since often, they're about $4, which, interestingly enough, is what a pot of herbs would cost to plant yourself!

Pinch off the mint leaves, roll them and chop.

Add all this to a food processor and add orange juice. Pulse until it's a fine paste.

I also found a $1 pack of oregano (another one of my favorite herbs).

Chop it.

Add to 3/4 a cup of EVOO, along with the juice of two limes and two teaspoons cumin. 

I found this pork loin roast at Walmart. It had a thick fat cap on the bottom which I trimmed to about 1/4". Forgot to photograph that. Sorry!

Add the orange juice and cilantro paste mixture along with the EVOO mixture to a Ziploc bag and add the pork roast. Work it around with your hands so it is well coated. Marinate at least two hours to over night. I only had two hours. I wish I had done it the night before, but I was hosting a bunch of little boys and their moms! Oh well! That's what you get for being dazzled by a pretty photo without actually reading the recipe.

Preheat oven to 425. Place a cooling rack on a sheet pan and spray both with Pam. (Trust me. Spray and spray some more. I forgot to do this.)

Place the roast on the rack and discard the marinade. Salt and pepper liberally on both sides.

Roast for 30 minutes at 425. It should be beginning to turn a light brown. Reduce heat to 375 and continue cooking until the roast registers 160 degrees in the middle. This will take about an hour and fifteen more minutes.

 

Remove from oven and tent with foil for about 15 minutes. 

I used my electric knife to slice the roast on the diagonal against the grain.

This was soooo good. Everyone loved this roast! I had about half of it left over, so I put it in the freezer. I plan to pull it out this morning so it can thaw in the fridge for dinner on Thursday night. I'm thinking sliced on a hamburger bun...

I'm so glad you stopped by my neck of the woods!

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