Here’s an idea for a quick low FODMAP midweek meal. I wanted to use to use some beautiful fresh rosemary we had been gifted by our good friend Helen when she joined us for dinner one night. There’s nothing fancy on the ingredients list; perhaps you have some rosemary in your garden too.
I must confess I’m not very good at preparing a grocery shopping list. I usually try to remember the necessary items and then just see what appeals to me for our weekly menu. I know it would probably be easier if I spent some more time planning ahead, but I just don’t seem to get it. This week I grabbed some pork loin steaks with no idea for what to do with them.
I knew I wanted to use up some of Helen’s rosemary, and what’s better that golden-roasted vegetables with this fragrant herb and a hint of garlic. I used baby potatoes, carrots and pumpkin tossed in garlic-infused olive oil, a low FODMAP essential.
While the veggies were in the oven I marinated the pork in a simple mix of orange and mustard with a little more rosemary. This little zester makes it so easy to get the most from my orange and I love the little curls for a nice presentation.
The great thing about this marinade is that it turns into a delicious little sauce in the same pan that the pork is cooked.
I marinated the pork for just 30 minutes, but no need to worry if you don’t have quite that long. I gave the pork a quick pan fry for just a couple of minutes each side and then set it aside on a warm plate. I tipped the marinade into the same pan with 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and gently cooked it until it thickened slightly. The final addition was just a teaspoon of butter to make it all shine.
Quick – yes. Simple – yes. Taste – yum. Low FODMAP – of course.
Orange-glazed Pork with Rosemary Roast Vegetables Ingredients
serves 4-6
I have used potatoes carrots and pumpkin, but feel free to change this to suit, eg leave out the pumpkin or add in parsnips. Pork loin steaks can vary in size, so you might need to count two per serve if they small or if you have some hungry meat eaters!
- 8-12 baby potatoes
- 3 medium carrots
- pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons chopped rosemary
- 2 teaspoons garlic-infused olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-6 pork loin steaks, depending on size and number of people
- salt and pepper
Marinade
- 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon chopped rosemary, extra
- olive oil, extra
Orange-glazed Pork with Rosemary Roast Vegetables Steps
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Wash potatoes and cut the small ones in half and slice larger ones into thirds.
- Cut peeled carrots in half, and then cut the thicker end in half lengthways.
- Cut pieces of pumpkin so they are a bit bigger than the pieces of potato.
- Toss all the vegetables in a roasting pan with the rosemary and oils; grind some salt over the top.
- Cook vegetables in the oven for approximately 40-50 minutes or until golden and tender.
- For the marinade, remove the zest from the orange with a zester, grater or Microplane.
- Combine in a dish large enough to hold the pork with the juice of half the orange and the remaining marinade ingredients.
- Add the pork, turning it over so that it is well coated in the marinade.
- Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- When the vegetables are 5 minutes away from being ready, heat a large fry pan over medium-high heat.
- Season the pork with a grind of salt and pepper.
- Lift the pork from the marinade, allowing the marinade to drip back into the dish, and cook the pork for 2 minutes on the first side
- 1-2 minutes on the second side, depending on thickness; remove to a warm plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the marinade to the pan with 2 tablespoons of water,
- Adding another tablespoon if the sauce seems too thick. Allow the sauce to gently simmer, stirring well, until slightly thickened.
- Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper if required.
- Stir through the butter to make a nice glossy sauce.
- Return the pork to the pan, turning to coat.
- Serve the pork with the rosemary roasted vegetables, steamed greens, and the orange sauce spooned over the top.