Roast Pork Loin with Shiitake and Leek Compote

I found a recipe allowing me to repurpose a single roasted pork loin dish into five other good sounding recipes, but the basic pork dish didn't sound like a winner.  So I went digging around until I found a good starting point that I would want to actually try.  This dish consists of a pork loin seared and roasted over a bed of leeks and mushrooms, fairly simple to prepare and loaded with flavor.  Plus, the pork is mildly flavored on its own, so you can use it for other dishes afterwards as you see fit.

The roast before boiling down the compote

Roast Pork Loin with Shiitake and Leek Compote
Gourmet, January 1995

• 1 large leek (white and pale green parts only)
• 1-pound center-cut boneless pork loin (mine was about 2 pounds, but I used it for other things afterwards)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter or olive oil
• 1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

The setup.  I found shiitakes at an asian grocery store for much cheaper than the megamart

Cut leek crosswise into 1/2-inch slices and in a bowl soak in water to cover, agitating occasionally to dislodge any sand, 5 minutes. Lift leek out of water and drain in a colander.

Leeks are notoriously dirty.  Don't skip the step of soaking them, and then lift them out instead of dumping them out (the dirt will have sunk to the bottom of the bowl)

Trim any fat from pork. Season pork with salt and pepper and pat with 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. In a 10-inch oven-proof non-stick or cast-iron skillet heat butter or oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown pork loin, turning it. Transfer pork to a plate.

Brown the pork loin.  Cast iron helps hold the heat for this.

Preheat oven to 425°F.

In fat remaining in skillet cook mushrooms and leek with salt over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add wine and broth and bring to a boil. Put pork on vegetables in skillet and roast in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 160°F.

Mushrooms and leeks before cooking

Mushrooms and leeks, after cooking.  Again, I highly recommend cast iron on this, or else they might stick/burn or require a ton of oil

Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes. If vegetable compote is too thin, cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost all liquid is evaporated. Stir remaining teaspoon chopped parsley into compote.

Pork and leek compote, served here with roasted vegetables

Slice pork thin and serve, garnished with parsley, with compote.