Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Roasted Pork Loin with Fennel** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Each week I follow along with Ina Garten (aka the Barefoot Contessa) and attempt to recreate one of her dishes in my tiny New York City kitchen. The catch? This is my version of cooking school and I’m making these recipes for the first time. I’ll share both my successes and um, challenges, along the way and we’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Fireside Dinner”

The Set-up: Ina is making a girls night dinner for her friend and garden designer Edwina von Gal (how amazing is that name?)

The Menu: Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel, Sautéed Cabbage, Rum Raisin Rice Pudding

0:32 – Ina says she likes to make a cozy dinner on nights when there’s a “snap in the air.” We’re having a snap alright – I’m freeeeezing!

1:21 – First up on the menu: Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel which she calls a one pot meal.

2:13 – Lots of good veggies in this dish – onions, carrots, potatoes – and fennel Ina’s “favorite vegetable.”

3:30 – She’s not kidding about this one-pot meal stuff – the vegetables go right from the cutting board to the roasting pan for seasoning. No spoon either, just clean hands!

4:05 – With a garden designer coming to dinner it only makes sense to take a trip outside to cut some fresh English thyme to use in the next phase of the recipe. Is it weird that I think that’s the height of decadence – fresh herbs for the picking at all times?

5:39 – Now for the pork loin marinade – garlic, salt, pepper, and a pun on thyme taking time. Oh, Ina you loveable goof.

6:44 – Now the mustard goes in and this looks like a delicious marinade/paste/rub hybrid. Yum.

10:00 – While the vegetables roast Ina starts on dessert: Rum Raisin Rice Pudding. Uh-oh. This isn’t the first time Ina has tried to convince me that rice pudding is a good idea. There was also this episode.

11:17 – Okay, well there’s rum involved, but I still just can’t even. No, I’m so sorry Ina, but I just can follow you down that dark path. Shudder.

12:33 – Another trip to the garden, this time for the flower arrangement. White dahlias, natch.

13:25 – Now for a little Entertaining 101. Ina says that the purpose of flowers and especially candles on the table is to focus attention inward on your dining companions. Which makes sense, I suppose.

14:06 – I thought (hoped) we were done with the rice pudding, but it was not to be. It’s back and it looks like a bowl of my culinary nightmares. Too dramatic?

19:39 – Whew, she put it in the fridge out of sight. Now Ina is adding the pork loin on top of the vegetables.

20:14 – A quick check in with Edwina and Charlie (her lab-mix?) shopping for plants. She doesn’t strike me as a rule follower, but Ina has a strict color scheme for her garden, so she caves and buys a giant branchy shrub with purple flowers.

21:42 – The pork loin is done and resting under it’s little foil tent just in time for Edwina to arrive toting a giant bush.

22:10 – Edwina insists that the spindly purple thing be planted immediately and Ina goes right along with her. dinner plans be damned.

23:58 – Present number 2 is a pair of bright pink, opera length gardening gloves. Okay, this I can get behind and Edwina is back in my good graces. I know she was nervous there for a minute.

26:27 – Ina is making Sautéed Cabbage as a side dish and I can’t decide whether I’m brave enough to try this.

27:31 – Also, do cabbage and fennel count as green vegetables? I could maybe be on board with it if I were confident there were some worthy vitamins in there.

28:44 – Edwina has the purple creeper (not it’s real name) in the ground and now it’s time to plate up dinner.

29:53 – Dinner is served and it’s like the cozy fireside meal of my dreams, except for dessert which in my world is chocolate cake. Cheers to cake!

Final Thoughts:
This seems like a very low-stress dinner, which I am 100% on board with.
I need to further consider this cabbage situation. It’s a complex issue.
Is it still presumptuous to bring someone something for their garden if you’re their garden designer? Is it like being a personal shopper for shrubs?

Lessons Learned:
You might be wondering why on earth I’d want to make Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel after last month’s debacle with the Herb Marinated Pork Loin, but the reason is simple: I refuse to be defeated by a cut of meat. Also, this recipe did not involve pan sautéing and I bought a new instant read meat thermometer, so my confidence was restored.

The recipe steps are just slightly fussy – allowing the pork loin to stand with the mustard/garlic paste marinade, roasting the vegetables first, then adding the meat – but none of them are at all difficult. I noticed that Ina just tossed the cut vegetables right in the roasting pan with the spices, which even saves on an extra bowl.

The only small changes I made to the process were rotating the pork loin halfway through the cooking time (about the 25 minute mark) to ensure even cooking. I did not want a repeat of my last pork loin which was too pink in some spots and dry in others – not good.

I also felt that the vegetables were plenty done after 30 minutes of roasting alone, plus another 40-45 minutes with the pork, so while the pork rested I turned the oven off and just kept them warm.

Small Kitchen Friendly?
Yes, but (are you noticing a trend?) the roasting pan is a key element – I used it to toss the vegetables with the butter and seasoning and then put it right in the oven. I also used a small prep-sized food processor, medium cutting board, and chef’s knife. Measuring spoons, tongs, a wooden spatula, cotton kitchen twine, and a meat thermometer (essential!!) round out the kit.

The Verdict:
I made Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel for Mike and I earlier this week and we were both really, really pleased with the results. The pork has great flavor from the garlic and mustard paste, but the unexpected star was the fennel. Neither of us could recall having roasted fresh fennel before and we both loved the caramelized richness. Next time I’ll throw in a few more bulbs so that there are extras. Mike’s one addition would be to make additional mustard sauce to serve over the slices of pork loin. . I would definitely make this again for a cozy dinner just for us or when we have guests.

Herb Marinated Pork Loin | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Herb Marinated Pork Loin** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Episode: “What Are Friends For”

The Set-up: Ina’s friends, Frank and Steven, have guests coming for dinner and everyone is stuck in traffic. Guess who is saving the day?

The Menu: Herb Marinated Pork Loin, Greek Panzanella, Plum Crunch

0:44 – We’re starting with the Herb Marinated Pork Loin, since well it has to marinate. (Timing!)

1:59 – I can hear English & Science teachers everywhere cheering when Ina makes a point of differentiating between “1 tablespoon minced rosemary” and “1 tablespoon rosemary, minced.” A subtle but important difference in the order of cooking operations…

2:37 – As she minces, then measures the rosemary and thyme Ina advocates for fresh herbs vs. dried. I think my cooking improved a lot once I started using fresh herbs.

3:15 – Trust that Ina wishes there were a more “glamorous” way to marinate meat other than a plastic Ziploc bag.

4:01 – Thank goodness we don’t have to see it for too long, the pork loins in their pedestrian plastic are whisked away to the fridge.

5:23 – Wait a minute, Ina is bringing the flowers for the table too? Did Frank and Steven forget they were having guests or are they just champion procrastinators?

6:09 – In any event, Ina selected a white and green flowers since that’s what Frank likes and is arranging them in a short drinking glass. Pro Tip#1: low arrangements on the table so people can see over them.

9:34 – I think Ina’s worried about the opinions we might be forming of Frank and Steven, but I’m afraid it’s too late. I now have them pegged as irresponsible hosts!

10:20 – Moving on to the Greek Panzanella – an Italian dish reimagined with Greek flavors like olives and feta.

11:36 – A little vegetable chopping montage – bell peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, English cucumbers – so soothing!

12:48 – As she’s making the dressing for the salad Ina acknowledges that’s “unusual for her” but that she has one exception to her fresh herbs rule: oregano, which she finds too strong in its fresh form.

13:14 – Pro Tip #2: Crush dried herbs, like oregano, between your hands to release the remaining oils in the leaves.

14:23 – A brief check-in with our delinquent hosts as they drive home. That’s right, Frank & Steven, you better sing Ina’s praises for saving your dinner party bacon.

15:43 – Back to Ina as she finishes the Greek Panzanella by adding Kalamata olives and diced feta. I’m still waiting to develop a taste for olives – so far they’re still on my “avoid” list.

19:19 – Ina’s still trying to rehabilitate Frank and Steven’s image, but it won’t work no matter how “big [she] owes them for so many things” or how “delighted” she claims to be to make Plum Crunch for them.

20:05 – Ina is stirring the sliced plums together with flour, cassis, and sugar, which will combine to make the “goo” of the filling. She says it takes a little judgment to determine when a little more or less flour is called for, depending on how juicy the fruit is. So tricky, I still don’t know for sure!

21:32 – Ina compares Plum Crunch to Apple Crisp, but I think this might be even more low-maintenance, because she isn’t peeling the plums.

22:21 – As she crumbles the topping over the plums Ina says that one of the pleasures of baking is the scent filling the house – isn’t that so true? Especially on a rainy, chilly fall day.

23:46 – The “dinner to-go” is packed with the efficient-getting-things-done music in the background and then Ina’s “so out of here” on her way to save the day!

26:07 – Frank and Steven tried to get out of helping, but Ina put them to work setting the table. Way to not let them off the hook on everything!

27:23 – The guests have arrived and Ina is plating the Greek Panzanella and baking off the Plum Crunch so it will be warm out of the oven. Man, is she good!

28:38 – Raiding the freezer which contains only vodka and vanilla ice cream. Hilarious.

29:12 – Ina seems to have been included in the dinner after they released her from the kitchen. Gracious to the end, though, she says they can call her for take out anytime.

Final Thoughts:

That Herb Marinated Pork Loin looks amazing…

I love the idea of translating a dish from one flavor profile to another – could a Middle Eastern version of panzanella be far behind?

Ina is probably the best friend ever – I can’t picture a time when I’d be able to pull off an elegant dinner for six at a moment’s notice.

Lessons Learned:

The flavors and ingredients of the Herb Marinated Pork Loin sounded delicious and the preparation straightforward, but I actually had a lot of trouble cooking the meat. The recipe calls for browning the pork loins in olive oil and then placing the sauté pan in the oven to finish cooking.

I found that even with the oil quite hot and the meat fairly clean of marinade it took a long time to brown the exterior and again the cooking time in the oven was too short to cook through. When I sliced the tenderloins I found the thicker pieces weren’t just pink, but actually a little raw looking even after resting. Not good and more than a little frustrating when they look so delicious on the outside!

In the future I’d recommend adding another 5-7 minutes to the time in the oven and rotating the meat halfway through the cooking to make sure they’re evenly done.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Yes, definitely. The most important item is a sauté pan large enough for the pork loins. I also used a chef’s knife, microplane grater, measuring spoons and liquid measuring cup, as well as tongs, a meat thermometer and aluminum foil.

The Verdict:

To be honest, I only tasted a small piece of the Herb Marinated Pork Loin and the flavors were wonderful, but I was so aggravated by the cooking process that all I wanted was peanut butter toast. Mike, on the other hand, did have the tenderloin for dinner and deemed it delicious. He claims he’d like to have it again, but only if I’m sure there will be no kitchen meltdowns in the process! My plan: learn from my past experience and try again; if you have success, I’d love to know your advice too!