Chef Shares Savory Fennel-Crusted Pork Loin Recipe from Virginia Farm Bureau Show

Chef Tammy Brawley demonstrated how to prepare a flavorful fennel-crusted pork loin on Virginia Farm Bureau's television program 'Real Virginia.' The recipe features a 6-7 pound boneless pork loin stuffed with garlic and seasoned with ground fennel seeds, roasted over sweet onions and fennel bulbs in buttermilk.

A delicious fennel-seasoned pork loin recipe was showcased by Chef Tammy Brawley during an episode of ‘Real Virginia,’ the weekly television show produced by Virginia Farm Bureau.

Fennel-Crusted Pork Loin Recipe

Ingredients needed:
24 cloves of garlic
4 large sweet onions, cut into rounds 1½ inches thick
2 fennel bulbs, with fronds chopped and saved, ribs removed, bulbs sliced ¼ inch thick
One 6-7 pound boneless pork loin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fennel seeds
3 cups buttermilk
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.

Crush 12 garlic cloves into a paste and spread in a roasting pan large enough for the pork loin. Layer the sliced onions over the garlic paste, then add the fennel slices on top.

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant, allow to cool, then grind them completely in a spice or coffee grinder.

Create cuts in the pork loin approximately 2 inches apart and insert 7-8 garlic cloves into each opening. Season the entire roast with salt and pepper, then coat with the ground toasted fennel.

Position the seasoned pork on the vegetable bed in the roasting pan. Cover with buttermilk and seal tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 40-45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees at the thickest section. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes. Take the pan out and transfer the loin to a cutting board.

Combine half of the roasted onions and fennel with all the cooking juices in a blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds. While the machine runs, slowly add the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth and thick. If the sauce is too thick, gradually add warm water, ¼ cup at a time, until it reaches a pourable consistency. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Place the remaining vegetables on a heated serving platter. Slice the meat into ½-inch pieces and arrange over the vegetables. Drizzle several spoonfuls of sauce over the meat and serve right away. Offer the remaining sauce separately in a gravy boat.