Roasting in Winter

When it's cold and miserable outside, I get the urge to roast meat. The Canadian winter lasts for the majority of the year -- comedians joke that our summer lasts two weeks and Canadians cry because it's true. So it follows that I get the urge to roast for the majority of the year.

This week my inclination was to roast a pork loin. I found a big fat one at my local grocery. I considered what I could serve with it and immediately thought of green apples. You know a perfect pairing when you see one: Fred and Ginger, Cheech and Chong, Ren and Stimpy, R2-D2 and C-3PO, pork and apples. "Sweet" and "meat" are two words that I don't normally like to associate together, but pork seems especially amenable to sweet fruits, vegetables, marinades and sauces. It creates a delightful play between sweet and savory.

Making the roast was easy. I rubbed it with a blend of garlic, dill, lemon rind, lemon juice, olive oil, ground cumin, pink peppercorns and Dijon mustard. On the bottom of the roasting pan, I placed green apple slices and poured a cup or two of water to keep the apples and drippings from burning. Then I roasted it at 425°F for a couple of hours until the internal temperature of the meat reached 160°F (for medium-rare).

Next on my mind is a roast coated with some kind of dry rub. The Canadian winter is long.