In this slow-cooked Pork Loin recipe we sealed the pork in the frying pan to give it a nice colour. We then cooked the mirepoix with white wine, cloves, peppercorns and stock. We put the mixture into an oven proof dish with the beautiful pork loin on top, we covered tightly with foil and finished it in the oven at 165C for about 1 1/2 hours.

Ingredients

• Stuffed pork loin (ask the butcher to stuff it for you)
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 leek, roughly chopped
• 1/2 celery stick, roughly chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 70g tomato paste
• 6 peppercorns
• 10g ground cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 225ml white wine
• 2 chicken cubes
• 250ml water
• Few sprigs of thyme
• Fresh rosemary

Equipment

• 1 oven proof dish
• 1 oven tray
• 1 deep frying pan
• 1 medium pot
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 chopping board
• 1 knife
• 1 tong
• Colander
• 2 containers, 1 for peelings and 1 for vegetables

Method

1. Pre-heat oven on 160/170C or gas mark 3/4.
2. Pre-heat a deep frying pan on a medium-high heat and add some oil. Leave it to get really hot.
3. Preparing the mirepoix (onion, garlic carrot, celery and leek) chop roughly and leave on the side in a container for now. Add the thyme and bay leaves.
4. Place the loin on the pre-heated frying pan so it can be sealed. Partially cover it and be mindful of the oil as it can start to be really bubbly and it can hurt you. Leave to cook until it gets a nice brown colour all the way round. When turning the loin onto the other sides make sure you lower the heat and then put it back to medium-high to brown the other side. Also, always partially cover.
5. When loin is sealed (browned nicely) from all sides you can remove it from the frying pan and put it on the side on an oven tray.
6. Add mirepoix to the frying pan, add cinnamon, give a stir and let it cook until vegetables are all nice and soft. Keep stirring occasionally.
7. Add tomato puree, stir and let it cook as much as you can. This adds colour and thickness to the sauce.
8. Add white wine, bring it to the boil and let it reduce. Make sure you give it a really good stir, scraping the bottom of the pan.
9. Add the stock, bring it to the boil and let it reduce.
10. Add peppercorns and cloves.
11. Transfer mirepoix mix with all the sauce in an oven proof dish and put the loin on top.
12. Cover tightly with foil and place it in the oven. Make sure no steam is allowed to come out of the foil. Leave to cook for 1 1/2 hours.
13. After 1 1/2 hours take it out of the oven and put the loin back onto the oven tray. Keep it out of the oven.

Making the Cinnamon Sauce

1. Place the colander over the pot and pass through the mirepoix. You are left with all of the vegetable juices.
2. Place the pot on the hob and simmer to reduce to the consistency you prefer.`