Roasted Pepper Pork & Saffron Risotto doesn’t require being chained to the cooktop constantly stirring as most risotto recipes. It’s so simple to make and goes perfectly with the roasted peppers and pork. This recipe might look like it has a laundry list of ingredients, but I assure you it is very easy; most of the work is done by the oven and the cooktop. Of course you could cook one without the other, the risotto goes with many things, and the pork and peppers would be equally delicious with my Sour Cream Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. I thought together it looked quite festive and something different to serve during the holiday season when you’re entertaining. The inspiration for both recipes came from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook Nigellissima, a good cookbook to own if you don’t already. I love the TV series.
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On a side note: there is no good way to photograph a whole pork tenderloin…just saying!
A couple of things to note for this recipe: I use a combination of Castelvetrano olives (mild and buttery) and oil cured black olives – my two favorite olives. Please, please, please don’t use canned olives. Barley can be found in the dried bean section of most grocery stores. You can also order it online. Pearl or pot barley are both suitable for this recipe.The saffron threads I bought on Amazon.
I also make this dish with a whole roasted chicken as per Nigella’s original recipe. I place the whole chicken into the baking pan and cook it longer, about 1 1/2 hours. The rest of the recipe is the same. The roasted chicken is delicious. The pork is also very good and somewhat quicker to cook. The pork was sent to me from a company called Market House that do subscription packs of meat, poultry, pork and chicken. All free range, humanely raised and the beef is raised and finished on grass – hard to find here in the US. I’ll be ordering from them in the future. One, I’m slightly addicted to online shopping and two, although a it costs more, free range, grass fed, naturally raised animals are infinitely better for you than mass-produced, feed lot industrialized animals. The welfare of the animals is important to me. I always tell people to buy what they can afford but if you don’t eat meat every day and sub a few vegetarian meals into the week and eat smaller meat portions (as you should be doing) then buying quality, sustainable meats and seafood becomes more affordable. Enough from me, I’ll chat with you soon, Lovoni xo
A good holiday pork recipe to try: Roast Pork with Apricot Stuffing and Brandy Gravy.
ROASTED PEPPER PORK & SAFFRON BARLEY RISOTTO
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 lb pork tenderloin
- Pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 red, orange or yellow peppers or a combo of all, quartered, seeded and membrane removed, cut into wedges
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 20 olives see intro
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 garlic bulb, halved through the middle
- 1 – 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper chili flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
SAFFRON BARLEY RISOTTO
- 3 cups chicken broth, approximately
- Pinch saffron threads
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced white or brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 1/3 cups pearl or pot barley
- 1/2 cup vermouth
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup finely grated fresh parmesan, plus extra for serving
- Mascarpone to serve, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (180°C).
- Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet or flameproof baking pan over medium-high heat. Add the pork, sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Cook until browned all over, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pork from the pan.
- Add the pepper, onion, olives, capers, garlic and crushed red pepper; stir to combine. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes to get some browning on the pepper and onion. Nestle the pork into the pepper mixture. Roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the pork is tender and a meat thermometer reads 145°F (63°C) when inserted into the middle of the pork. Remove the pork to a cutting board. Cover with foil and keep warm.
- Add the vinegar and half of the parsley. Return the pan to the oven and cook a further 10 minutes until pepper and onion are tender. Carve the pork into 1/2-inch thick slices.
To make the risotto:
- While the pork is cooking, combine the broth and the saffron in a small saucepan. And bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat; keep covered.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet (about 12-inchs) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the barley and stir to coat the barley in the onion mixture. Add the vermouth and stir until combined.
- Add the hot broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Cook, covered, stirring twice during cooking, until the broth is absorbed and the barley is tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan and a couple of dollops of mascarpone.
- Spoon the risotto into warm bowls. Add the pepper mixture, the pork and drizzle with any juices from the pepper pan (I’ll add a splash of boiling water from the kettle to create some if the juices have evaporated. Sprinkle with parsley and extra parmesan, if desired.
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