My Island Bistro Kitchen

Pork Loin Roast with Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce served with Potato Croquettes and Roasted Root Vegetables

I am still experimenting with black garlic in recipes.  If you have been following my postings, you will recall my January 12, 2013, entry using black garlic in a sauce over sea scallops.  My latest culinary escapade finds it is a suitable flavouring for sauces for meat as well.  Below you will find the recipe I created for a pomegranate, red wine, and black garlic sauce to accompany a marinated pork loin roast.  It serves 2-3.

As I described in my January 12th posting on black garlic, don’t expect any traditional garlic flavour from this fermented version which is very sweet and tastes more like a fig or a prune than it does garlic.  I like pomegranate molasses but it can sometimes be hard to find as many of the traditional supermarkets in my area don’t tend to carry it.  However, if you can locate a grocer who sells Middle Eastern food in your area, you are most likely able to find the molasses there.  The marinade itself is very traditional but the sauce I have created for drizzling over the roast pork loin slices is a somewhat sweet sauce with a rich burgundy color which, of course, comes from the combination of the pomegranate molasses, red wine, and black garlic.  It makes a fine pairing, both in taste and visually, with the roast pork.

3/4 lb pork loin roast

Marinade

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

1/8 tsp ginger

1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp shallot, finely minced

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and place in dish.  Place roast in marinade and turn once to coat.  Cover and place in refrigerator for 3-4 hours, turning occasionally to baste.

Preheat oven to 425F.  Place roast on rack in small roaster.  Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 325F and continue to roast, covered, until internal temperature of roast registers 150-160F on meat thermometer.  Remove from oven and let stand, covered for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving with Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce (recipe below).

Mixing the soya sauce, oil, white wine vinegar, and garlic for the marinade

Adding brown sugar, ginger, salt, pepper, and shallots to the marinade

Marinating the Pork Roast and Preparing it for Roasting

Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce

1 tsp butter

1 tbsp shallots, finely minced

2 cloves black garlic, sliced or fork-mashed

1 1/2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup red wine

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/16 tsp cardamon

1 tbsp orange juice

1 tsp cornstarch

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add shallots and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add black garlic.  Stir and sauté for apx. 30 seconds.

Add pomegranate molasses, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, red wine, brown sugar, and cardamon.  Stir over medium heat just until mixture reaches boiling point.  Reduce heat to low.

Mix cornstarch into orange juice.  Add some of the hot mixture to the orange juice and cornstarch mixture to temper it.  Add the mixture to the pot.  Stir over medium-low heat until thickened.

Slice roast into 1/4″ thick slices and plate.  Drizzle warm sauce over pork.

Making the Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce

Making the Sauce for the Pork Roast

Sliced Pork Loin Roast Served with Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce

I served the pork loin roast with potato croquettes and roasted root vegetables which were lightly tossed with a maple syrup and balsamic vinegar dressing.