Galician pork loin

How to make Galician marinated pork loin . We return to the fray with one of the  richest meat recipes in Galicia, marinated loin with potatoes. If this year you have been on vacation in Ourense and you have not tasted a portion of this delicacy, you must return again.

With this recipe you have the opportunity to prepare one of the most successful tapas in my house in your homes. No fries of potato chips, which in many places are already frozen. At home my mother always accompanies them with good cooked cachelos (potatoes). And that they are soaked well with the fat of the oil of frying the pork loin.

Normally in the slaughter of the pig, the part that was not used to keeping long was the fresh pork loin, called  frebas in the Ourense area   and raxo in the north of Galicia, especially in the coastal areas.

This, like the zorza or the picadillo (in Asturias and Castilla they call it that), is marinated with  garlic, paprika, salt and oregano.  Although unlike the zorza that is prepared as a necessity to taste the meat for sausages and thus rectify the marinade before stuffing them, the raxo is cooked directly in small pieces and only paprika. The garlic theme, I imagine, is quite recent, as is the accompaniment of fried potatoes.

Few dishes are so simple and rich. And it is that if we put together good products, with little that we cook them, the final result is spectacular. Find 30 minutes and jump to enjoy this marinated loin so “yummy”.

Preparation of the marinated loin

1. I like that the pork loin is fat-free, that’s why I usually clean it at home very well.
2. Many of you will think that I am crazy, that the bacon does not even paint this recipe, but to me the fat that I like is from a good extra virgin olive oil, if I am going to dip it in the sauce that is of quality.
3. First of all we must cut the loin tape into fillets about 3 cm wide.
4. Then those fillets in small blocks of about 3 or 4 cm approximately. Always with a good knife and close at hand, no machines or choppers.
5. We put the pieces of meat in a large bowl and season.
6. For the marinade we will use very fine filleted garlic (then it will be roasted in the pan and it will be super rich), parsley and chopped oregano, a pinch of paprika (I like sweet-spicy mixture), 10 tablespoons of olive oil extra virgin olive, salt to taste and a glass of white wine.
7. We remove everything very well with a wooden spoon. This way we integrate the ingredients well and get the meat to catch all the flavor of the taste.
8. We cover everything with a rag or the lid of the bowl so that the fridge does not catch odors.
9. We leave it resting in the fridge for a whole day.

Frying and cooking the marinated loin

1. We heat a frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil (a finger of oil is more than enough).
2. The best thing is that it is one of those iron pans in which everything clings well to the surface, that is, the worst frying pan that we have at home. So the garlic and the rest of the marinade will come to caramelize, with a non-stick frying pan you won’t get the same.
3. When the oil is hot, add the previously drained meat of liquid. Especially for white wine, we store this liquid in a glass because we will use it later.
4. Fry over high heat for 5 minutes. The meat has to catch a roasted color, in those four or five minutes it does not get to be done inside. It is there when we add the liquid of the marinade that we have reserved.
5. Let it reduce to high heat for another 5 minutes. Once the sauce is a little tied, that is, thicker, remove from the heat and let it rest.

Potatoes and final presentation of the Galician marinated loin

1. You see that the total preparation is 10 minutes, which is just what we need to make our cachelos or cooked potatoes.
2. Many of you ask me by email where to buy the famous cachelos, and they are not bought because it is not a type of Galician potato but a way of cooking it.
3. In Galicia, in the past, it was used to cook the potato with its skin in chunks, usually in the middle and put it in the casserole with a little salt.
4. Now people usually peel the potatoes, although I love the skin. So at home they always eat with her, who doesn’t like her taking it away. Try them like this, you’ll see how good.
5. For those who do not know how to prepare cooked potatoes it is extremely simple. Add the whole potatoes with or without skin (as you like) to cook in a large saucepan with water and salt.
6. We cook them for 15-20 minutes, it depends on the potato and the type of cuisine we have.
7. We are testing that they are tender without breaking, puncturing them from time to time with a fork. When we see that they are already, drain them and remove them to a source.
8. We place the marinated loin on top of the potatoes with all the sauce, the tender and golden garlic.
9. Sprinkle with a little more chopped oregano, arm ourselves with a good piece of bread and a fork … and put on our boots.

Here it goes without saying that it is delicious, there are no words.

The secret of this dish is to make the meat juicy , it sounds easier than it is, and to get the exact marinade so that then the sauce has that dark paprika tone.

I love that it takes garlic to esgalla (a lot), although then you have to put it aside. But the best thing is to be able to enjoy the whole of a good portion that for that we are at home. Dip the cooked potatoes in the sauce, I think you are already imagining it, right?

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album.