I had bought a lovely piece of pork loin and the intention was to cook something special forPatrick, my Ah Boy, as he had a week at home from the army. But there were just too many menus lined up for him, and he also had plans to hang out with his friends.

Now with him back in camp, pork loin on my mind, my thoughts strayed to dinner-time and to the new wines delivered on Wednesday! What goes with pork? What can I make without having to go shopping for new ingredients?

A quick check in my fridge, my treasure trove of ideas… there was red cabbage for a red cabbage relish, which would be perfect with pork! Ooh and I have some toasted breadcrumbs, too. If I can crisp that up, with some herbs and good salt for seasoning, would make a nice topping and give the dish a different texture as well.

So here is my quick-and-easy recipe, which wasaccompanied withYalumbaViognier…I love Viognier’s!

Ingredients

• 1 strip of pork loin (fresh from wet market)

• 2 tsp.Dijon mustard

• ½ tsp. sweet paprika

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with some salt

• 1 tbsp. olive oil

• pinch of good sea salt

• pinch of brown sugar

Instructions

1. Mix all the above marinade ingredients together (except the pork) until the sugar has melted and is well incorporated.

2. Coat the pork with this marinade, cover with cling film and set aside in the fridge for an hour. Use this time to prepare a red cabbage relish. (Bring pork back to room temperature before cooking.)

3. Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. On high heat, brown all sides of the pork loin. This should take no more than 5 minutes; we just want to achieve a delicious colour on the pork.

4. Remove from heat and place the pork on an oiled baking tray and bake in a150ºC oven for approximately 15 minutes untilpork is cooked. Rest the pork for 5-7 minutes before slicing it.

5. Using the same pan that you fried the pork in, fry the breadcrumbs (leftover bread, which I crumbed into small pieces with my hands) in the remaining oils and meat juices/marinades untilcrisp. Take it off the heat and stir in some coriander leaves and freshly cracked pepper.

6. Plating….Sliced pork loin, crispy breadcrumbs on top, served on a wooden board with red cabbage relish and some quinoa.

Note: It’s important not to overcook the pork loin, as this premium cut doesn’t contain much fat and will become dry.

_{This post was first published on Intimate Suppers blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author. Images from Celina Tan}

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin}

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