BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH KOHLRABI, CARROTS AND CREAM OF LEEK GRAVY

BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH KOHLRABI, CARROTS AND CREAM OF LEEK GRAVY image

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

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Ingredients

2-3 lb. Center Cut Pork Loin
6-8 medium carrots peeled, coarsely chopped
4 kohlrabi peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 leeks, rinsed well and finely chopped. (reserve 1/2 cup of the chopped white portion of leeks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Jalapeno or Serrano pepper chopped with seeds
1 green bell pepper, chopped
8-10 large mushrooms, stemmed and quartered. Save stems.
10 sprigs of fresh cilantro chopped
½ tsp. cumin
4 cups broth (can use vegetable or chicken)
2 Tbsp. taro root flour or corn starch
2 cups cream or half and half
2 Tbsp. and 1 tsp. unsalted butter
salt & pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 for convection roasting). Dry the pork loin and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to air dry while preparing the leek gravy. Leek Gravy: Melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and all but one half cup of chopped leeks. Season w/ s & p. Cook uncovered until leeks begin to sweat, 7 min. Add mushroom stems, bell pepper, jalapeno. Cook 5 minutes until vegs soften. Add broth and simmer, partially covered, 15-20 min. Reserve one cup of this mixture. Puree mixture with a hand blender. Add pepper flakes (optl) cumin, cilantro sprigs and partially cover and simmer 10 min. Remove from heat and ladle the mixture into a food mill with the smallest grid attachment. Return the milled mixture to the saucepan and add 1 tsp. of butter. Bring mixture to a boil. Whisk the taro root flour and cream together. Whisk the cream mixture to the saucepan til evenly distributed. Season w/ s & p. Let gravy thicken for 5 min. Remove from heat and cover until serving. Pork Loin: Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in stew pot on high heat. Brown meat on all sides, about 5-6 min/side. Remove meat and set aside. On high heat add reserved half cup of chopped leeks sauté until wilted. Add carrots, mushrooms, kohlrabi and chopped cilantro and cook until the vegs soften. Add the pork loin back to the pot nested in the vegs. Ladle 1 cup of the reserved leek mixture over the pork loin. Cover, cook in oven for 1 hour or until the internal temp. of the meat is 155 and the vegs are al dente. Let roast rest for about 5 min. before carving. Serve slices of the pork loin on top of the vegetable in large bowls and ladle a generous portion of the leek gravy on top and add a sprig of cilantro!