John Pleshette’s Pork Loin with Red Peppers

I love John Pleshette’s recipes – they are always season and delicious. He’s an actor and a foodie who shares with us his weekly recipes.

Pork Loin with Red Peppers

Serves 4

1 pork loin (about 3 lbs)

3 red bell peppers

2 medium red onions

3 cloves of garlic

Fresh thyme

Banyuls vinegar

6 medium fingerling potatoes

Fresh Italian parsley

Pre-heat oven to 350. Slice the potatoes crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place in a cast iron pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Salt and pepper. Place in the oven.

Slice the peppers lengthwise into 8 pieces. Remove the seeds. Trim off any white pith. Peel the onions. Slice lengthwise into 8 sections.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the peppers. Lower the heat and cook for ten minutes, turning frequently.

Add the onions. Continue to cook on a low heat, turning from time to time so the peppers and onions soften but do not burn.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Dry the pork thoroughly in paper towels. Salt and pepper generously.

When the oil is smoking, lay the pork in the pan. Cook for several minutes, turning frequently until the loin is browned on sides. Lower the heat and cook for about twelve minutes, until the first blood appears on the surface of the meat and it springs back when you poke it with your finger. Remove to a warm platter.

To finish the peppers, peel and thinly slice the garlic. Strip leaves from two sprigs of thyme. Raise the heat on the peppers and onions. Add the garlic and thyme. Shake the pan to distribute the garlic. As soon as you smell the garlic, pour in 1/2 cup of Banyuls vinegar. Cook for 30 seconds to reduce the liquid.

Spoon onto the serving platter. Slice the pork loin and arrange on top. Surround with the roasted potatoes. Scatter with parsley leaves.

Cellarwise wine pairing

Lean red Bordeaux works well with the sweet, metallic taste of red peppers. The ’06 Seigneurs D’Aiguilhe Cotes du Castillon (France, $15) is a perfect pick with its elegant blueberry and spice flavors. Argentine Malbec works very well too, and the ’08 Achaval Ferrer Malbec Mendoza (Argentina, $20) is a fantastic, structured wine showing lots of leathery, minerally boysenberry fruit. The budget play from argentina is the ’08 Dona Paula Malbec Mendoza ($12), with a pure core of blackberry and huckleberry. An interesting choice might be the ’06 Rosenblum Mourvedre Contra Costa County (California, $16), the grape is perfect and this rendition is packed with tannic black fruit flavors and a mile-long finish.