Roasted Pork & Asian Pears

Ingredients:
4 Asian pears (I used Saitama), peeled and sliced
2 1/2 lb boneless pork roast
1/2 lb pearl onions*
2 tablespoon five spice powder
1/2 cup white wine or shaoxing
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle the pork on all sides with the spices. Heat oil in a stovetop and oven safe dutch oven. Add the onions and pears and saute until the onions start to brown. Push the onions and pears to the sides of the pan and add the pork. Cook to slightly brown each side. Add the wine. Roast for 40 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Slice and serve. The juices make a great gravy, if you are into that sort of thing.




*I get bored too easily to peel tiny onions so I just use (undefrosted) frozen. They can be tricky to find but most stores seem to carry them during the holiday season. Stock up!

My thoughts:

I love Asian pears of pretty much any variety. We bought some locally grown ones at the farmers market but I've seen them sold at the regular supermarket as well. I've seen them labeled as "apple pears" due to their apple like crisp crunch and round shape but they are, indeed, a variety of pear. They hold their shape better than most regular pears do during long cooking time. They are also not terribly sweet so I feel free to use them in relatively savory ways. At any rate, this is a delightful, if slightly unphotogenic dish. Truly one of my better pork roast recipes; rustic yet flavorful. The pork was so tender, it practically melted beneath my fork. Not bad for a recipe with virtually no hands on time and very few ingredients. And it made the whole house smell fantastic!