Roast Pork Loin with Marsala in Tomato and Thyme Sauce
Region: Italy
Category: Pork
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but long cooking time

This is an easy roast: you just pop it in the oven and roast it for about one-and-a-half hours, basting if you want.  I like to serve it with a very simple vegetable preparation.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 8 servings
Preparation Time: 2:45 hours

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 pound ripe tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated against the largest holes of a grater down to the peel

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

10 thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine

One 4-pound boneless pork loin roast

1/4 cup dry Marsala wine

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1. In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until sizzling, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste, stir to mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, season with salt and pepper, and add the thyme, then cook until denser, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  

3. Place the pork in a baking casserole and pour the Marsala and the remaining olive oil over it.  Season with the oregano, salt, and pepper.  Place in the oven and roast until the internal temperature of 130 degrees F is reached using a meat or instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/4 hours.  At some point during the roasting you may want to baste with the collected pan juices and add some water too.  Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes.  Cut into thin slices and arrange on a serving platter and spoon dollops of the tomato sauce on top, then spoon some pan juices over every thing.  Serve hot.

Variation: 

Note: 

Posted: 12/28/2006