Pork Loin with Apple Cider Vinegar Vegetables

Pork loin with apple cider vinegar vegetables is a rich and flavorful dish. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 1 kg of pork loin
• 4 medium carrots
• 4 onions
• 4 celery stalks
• 4 medium potatoes
• 250 ml of apple cider vinegar
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
• Meat or vegetable broth, if necessary

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Begin by cleaning and cutting the vegetables: carrots and potatoes into sticks, onions and celery into thick slices.
3. In a baking dish large enough to contain the pork loin and vegetables, distribute the vegetables at the bottom, season with salt, pepper, a few sprigs of thyme, and a generous splash of apple cider vinegar. Drizzle with some olive oil.
4. Rub the pork loin with salt and pepper, then place it on top of the bed of vegetables.
5. Pour a little more apple cider vinegar over the pork loin.
6. Bake and roast for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the pork loin reaches 65-70 °C. If necessary, add a bit of broth during cooking to maintain moisture.
7. After the first 45 minutes, turn the pork loin and baste it with the cooking juices.
8. Once cooked, let the pork loin rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
9. Serve the sliced pork loin with the vegetables caramelized with apple cider vinegar.

Tip: To ensure that the vegetables caramelize well, you might remove the meat from the dish in the last 20 minutes of cooking and let the vegetables continue to cook, slightly increasing the oven temperature.

Curiosity

The pork loin is a typical Tuscan cut of meat; its name comes from a banquet during the Council of Florence in 1430, where Greek prelates exclaimed “Aristos!” (which in Greek means “the best”) tasting this dish.

Accompany this dish with a good sweet and full-bodied red wine, perhaps a Chianti to stay on the Tuscan theme.