Roast Pork Loin with Spicy Honey Glaze

If you read my blog yesterday and were looking forward to Pork Marsala, I apologized.  With children zooming cars around my feet I didn't feel much like putting the time and effort into Pork Marsala.  I already had the pork loin out so I thought I'd roast it in the oven.  The name of this recipe might sound complicated, but it's not.  It is simple and delicious.

What you will need: 1.5-2 lb pork roast, salt, pepper, olive oil, 3/4 cup honey, 1/3 cup lime juice, 2 chilies in adobe sauce, cumin

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour yourself a glass of wine;)  Start by pouring some (two-three turns around the pan) olive oil in a large skillet and heat.  Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels.  Salt and pepper all sides of the roast.  Once the oil is hot (you can tell by flicking a little water into the pan; it will sizzle) place the roast in the pan.  Brown all sides of the roast.  When you remove the nicely browned roast place it in a 9x13 baking dish and place in the oven for 50-70 minutes; until the thickest part registers 135 degrees.  Meanwhile, mince the chillies and put in a small bowl with the cumin, honey, and lime juice.  Now I didn't have lime juice on hand.  I always forget to keep lemons and limes on hand.  However, I did have some Lawry's Havana Garlic and Lime marinade.  I looked at the ingredients and it pretty much had lime and lemon juice with garlic and spices so I thought that would work. Mix all that up really well and then pour into the pan that you browned the pork in. The idea is to scrape all those brown bits up and mix them in with the glaze.  You want to simmer this until it thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.  You want to brush the glaze on the roast in the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. So when the roast registers 110 degrees with the thermometer you can brush it one.  I use a long handled silicon brush.
Once the roast registers at 135 degrees, remove from the oven and cover with foil.  Let it rest for 10-15 minutes until the internal temp is 145-150.

The pork turned out nicely.  It had a little kick from the glaze, but wasn't overbearing. So if you like things spicy use one or two more chillies.

My side dishes with this were a box of Au gratin potatoes (I'm embarrassed to tell you that, but I need to go shopping really bad) and cooked spinach.  My family eats a lot of spinach. I usually buy it in the bags in the produce section.  When it reaches or passes it's 'use by date' I cook it by putting a little olive oil in a skillet along with a couple tablespoons of chicken broth.  Add salt and pepper and cook it down until it's nice and wilted. Serve hot or it's not very good.