Pork Loin and Fermented Green Tomato Relish

It probably won't be a surprise that I belong to several food related groups on Facebook.  Two of those groups deal with fermentation and the results thereof.  After all, there are many benefits to eating fermented food that I won't get into here.  Most times the conversations are about recipes/techniques to get a specific fermented item.  These are helpful and informative.  Then there are the discussions about eating fermented foods as they are or cooking with them.  These can get a bit contentious at times.  Obviously, I'm on the side of the "sometimes it's just about the flavor" group.  The idea for this supper came from someone posting a picture of a meal they had made using fermented salsa.  I don't have any fermented salsa but I do have the fermented green tomato relish.

Pork Loin on a  bed of sliced mushrooms with garlic

I had bought a couple of pork loins last week since the price was down a bit so when I processed them I kept two roasts.  Each roast is just a bit under 2 pounds which is enough for two meals for the good wife and me.  My plan when I cut this one last week was for it to be our Monday night supper.  I'm happy to say it was a success.

Pork Loin topped with Fermented Green Tomato Relish hot from the oven

Roasted Pork Loin


2 lb pork loin roast
1 quart fermented green tomato relish
1 lb mushrooms
1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt
1/2 cup white wine, optional

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of your roasting pan.  Slice the mushrooms and put in the roasting pan.  Set the pork loin roast on the bed of sliced mushrooms.  Season with salt.  Slice the garlic and put on top of the pork loin roast.  Cover the pork roast with the fermented green tomato relish.  Add the white wine if using.  Place in a 400F oven and cook with the lid on for 1.5 hours.  Check the temperature of the pork roast, if it is at least 135F put the lid back on and let set until ready to slice and serve.  Carry over will bring the internal temperature of the meat up past 145F.  Slice the pork loin into thick slices and serve with a side of the green tomato relish and mushroom mixture.

A nicely done Pork Loin

We had ours with rice though it would pair equally as well with either roasted or mashed potatoes.   Then again, serve what you want to with it.

Oh what a meal

I know not many people will go to the effort to ferment green tomato relish, all is not lost.  There are commercially produced varieties of green tomato relish as well as chutney and chow chow.  These won't have the tang of the fermented relish but they should work with this recipe.  Plus,  you could use the salsa of your choice and make it like the dish that inspired this one.  Heck, it would work with sauerkraut as well though I think you'd have to go with potatoes as the side rather than rice.

Give this lovely dish a try and let me know what you think.  I believe you'll like it.


Uncle T