Chimichurri Part II: The Pork

Chimichurri-Roasted Pork Loin

Chimichurri Part II:  The Pork

by Victoria Challancin

Last week I wrote a rather long post on chimichurri:  its history, some fun facts, its uses, a great recipe for green chimichurri plus my own version, a yummy recipe for chimichurri-roasted vegetables, and a link to a chimichurri rojo as well.  These week I give you the second part of the original recipe...the chimichurri-marinated, chimichurri-roasted meat that goes with those gorgeous vegetbles.

The original recipe came from Foodista.com, whose version is a charcoal-grilled pork tenderloin with chimichurri and summer veggies.  Charcoal grilling would be better, obviously, but my take on this recipe, which roasts both the vegetables and the meat in the oven, is really good if the grilling option isn't readily available to you.  The recipe calls for marinating both the veggies and the pork (or chicken, or fish, or shrimp, or beef, or tofu...) in some of the chimichurri, and roasting them at fairly high temperatures.  Simple, delicious, and with any luck, you'll have a bit of the luscious sauce leftover to use on crackers with cheese or crudites.

The roasted pork before some of the coating fell off during the slicing of the meat

 Right out of the oven, complete with the crusty bits

Recipe:  Chimichurri-Roasted Pork Loin

(Adapted from the original recipe at Foodista.com)

Cook's Notes:  I used a 2-lb boneless pork loin; you could also use pork tenderloins as in the original recipe.  This recipe and technique would also work on practically any meat or type of seafood.  In this recipe I added the oil to the food processor as I made the chimichurri.  Normally, I prefer to chop all the ingredients, put them in a bowl, and then add the olive oil so that it doesn't emulsify.  I take the meat out when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat reaches 145 degrees as the temperature will continue to rise to about 160 by the time it is ready to slice (trichinosis germs are destroyed at 137 degrees).

For the chimichurri:

1 bunch (about 3 cups) parsley, stems removed

1 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

5 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

For the pork:

One boneless pork loin, 2 to 3 pounds

To make the chimichurri:

Place the parsley, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt, garlic, and chile in a food processor.  Puree 30 seconds, then scrape the sides down and puree again.

To prepare the meat:

Trim any silver skin from the meat, but leave the needed fat.  Rinse meat and pat dry with paper towels.  Rub the pork loin on all sides with about 1/4 cup of the chimichurri sauce. 

Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Place the meat in a baking dish.  Roast in oven for 15 minutes, lower heat to 350 degrees F and continue roasting for an additional 25 minutes.  Plan on about 20 minutes per pound.  When the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, remove from oven, tent loosely with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.  Slice meat into 1/4-inch slices and serve with leftover chimichurri sauce (make sure the sauce hasn't touched the raw pork!).  Serve with the chimichurri-roasted vegetables (see recipe link below), which can be cooked at the same time.

Enjoy!

The chimichurri-roasted vegetables (recipe is here)

©Victoria Challancin.  All Rights Reserved.

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