Moroccan Inspired Pork Filet

Canadian pork is a beautiful meat with a delicate flavour.  Pork filet is a favourite of mine because it’s so lean, tender, and lovely to eat when the meat is still slightly pink.

Fragrant roast pork with Moroccan-inspired spices, fresh out of the oven – delicious hot or cold!

In the summer when it’s hot and sunny outside, it’s nice to prepare quick, simple meals. But  ♥ for me, no matter how simple the dish, is must also be very flavourful and pleasing to the eye. ♥  This is one such recipe and it’s just as tasty to eat warm or cold as it is to eat hot out of the oven.

Preparing the meat and measuring the spices for the roast pork filet.

You only need a few ingredients for this dish, and it tastes better the longer it marinates, so prepare it in the morning or the night before roasting.

The chopped garlic and finely chopped chilies are added to the roughly ground spices.

Moroccan-inspired Roast Pork Filet

Ingredients & Marinating

1 large or 2 smaller pork filets
75 ml (1/3 c) extra virgin olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
22 ml (1 1/2 Tbs) cumin seeds
30 ml (2 Tbs) coriander seeds
15 ml (1 tsp) crushed red chilies OR 3 small fresh hot red or green chilies, 2 of them seeded, very finely chopped
3 ml (1/2 tsp) sea salt
3 ml (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper

• Using a small, very sharp knife, remove all the visible, clear and white membranes on the pork filet.
• Place the cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar* and grind with the pestle [♥ not too finely - it's nice to have some texture ♥].
• Add the garlic, crushed dried or fresh chopped chili, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and mix.
• Place the pork in a shallow glass or stainless steel dish or, in a sealable plastic bag ["Zip-Lock" freezer bags are perfect for this], and marinate at least several hours, or up to 1 day.

Extra virgin olive oil is added to the garlic and spices for the marinade.

Cover the pork filet with the garlic, herb and oil mixture.

Roasting

• Preheat the oven to 230C [450F] and set the oven rack to the bottom third of oven.
• Place on a roasting rack and make sure the meat is well covered with the spices and oil mixture.
• Roast 18-23 minutes, depending on size of filets.

The pork is lovely served at room temperature with colourful side salads.

Notes & serving suggestions: ♥

• * If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, don’t worry! Just place the spices in a havy plastic bag on a solid flat surface and crush with a rolling pin.
• This makes a moderately hot marinade. Unless you are used to eating spicy dishes, you may want to start with half the amount of chili specified.
• This pork can also be bar-b-qued.
• It can be served many different ways. Here are a few ideas:
  • with steamed or roasted new vegetables;
  • with a variety of cold salads – I served mine with a zesty carrot salad and a chick pea and fava bean salad the other day [click on the link or look in the "Salads" magazine Sub-section of "Epi's Food Passion" under the heading: "Take Two" for these 2 simple recipes];
  • warm or cold, it’s delicious served with rustic breads or pita with humous and tabouleh salad, or with any selection of cold salads.