The holidays can be a blessing and a curse. Storefronts around the city glimmer with holiday cheer and we all wait patiently for the first snowflake to fall from the sky. The streets are overrun with children in matching mittens and boyfriends holding Victoria Secret bags. Retailers obsessively fold sweaters onto color-coded stacks, with names like cucumber, honeydew and dark papaya. We all reluctantly reach into our wallets and shell out a few hundred on what? A scarf, a book, a picture frame; items that will inevitably be lost in the mess when you move from one apartment to the next.
Let me suggest an alternative. If the goal of all of this gift giving is to care for and share with those you love, why not invite them over for a delectable dinner and pay for it. You’re looking at 15 dollars a head, tops, and if they’re decent people, they’ll bring some booze. A good time will be had by all and there’s no fussing over ribbons and bows. Nothing says I care like a pork roast.
Pork Roast
Serves 6-8, Takes 2 hours
1 pork loin roast, bone in
4 sprigs rosemary
(finely chopped)
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rub the meat with plenty of salt, pepper, rosemary, minced garlic and finally, olive oil. Place in a roasting pan and pop in the oven for 20 minutes. Then pour in the white wine and let cook for another half hour. Add the stock. Baste the pork every 15 minutes with the liquid on the bottom of the pan and continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer the roast to a cooling rack, which allows the juices to redistribute. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop and turn the burners on high. Let the juices reduce to around one cup of liquid and then add the butter. Cut the roast and spoon the sauce over it. Serve with roasted rosemary potatoes and sautéed green beans with garlic. Make a toast suggesting that this is their gift so that they’re not expecting something more material at a later date
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