Roasted Garlic & Parm Crusted Pork
What’s a girl supposed to do when a gal pal throws down a request for garlic recipes? Well, you create a recipe that rocks a whole lot of garlic just for them, that’s what.
If you’ve never roasted garlic, what exactly are you waiting for? Roasting changes the chemical makeup of the garlic so it is much milder and even tastes sweeter.
When you cut, crush, or chew garlic, cell breakdown occurs in the sulphur compounds found in all alliums. These phytochemicals, in particular a compound called allicin, are mostly responsible for the sharp or hot taste and the strong smell of garlic. Cooking garlic removes allicin, mellowing its spiciness.
These sulphur-based compounds are believed to have evolved as a defensive mechanism, deterring animals such as birds, insects, worms, and humans from eating the plant.
Alison, you can eat the caramelized roasted cloves directly out of the heads, add them to faux pasta dishes, mash them up with butter and spread them over healthified toast, or mix them with sour cream for a dip.
Roasted garlic makes everything better.
- Prep Time10 min
Ingredients
For the roasted garlic paste/crust
- 2 heads of garlic separated into cloves
- 1 Tbsp oil
- water to cover the bottom of the pan.
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp pepper
For the pork
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 6 pork loin chops, thick cut and boneless.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 medium-sized onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of broth or water
Directions
To make the garlic paste;
Prepare a pan with parchment paper and set your oven to 350°F.
Separate the garlic into individual cloves and place them on the prepared tray. Drizzle the oil on top of the garlic and then place a thin layer of water on the bottom of your tray.
Braise/toast the cloves until the cloves are split open and the insides are soft and caramelized, about 35-40 minutes depending on the size of your cloves.
Set aside to cool.
When cool remove the skins and any hard portions of the roasted garlic.
Place garlic in a small mixing bowl and mash. Add the remaining paste ingredients and stir well. Set aside.
To make the pork;
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place oil in a large braising pan over high heat.
Season pork chops with salt, pepper and paprika.
When the oil is hot add the pork chops, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Work in batches if needed and keep at least 1 inch between the chops.
Sear the chops to a deep brown on all sides, then turn off the heat.
Add onion and broth/water to your pan. Make sure the liquid only comes about 1/3 way up the side of your chops. Cover and into the oven for 1 hour.
After one hour flip the chops, check the level of liquid and back into the oven again until the chops are fork-tender. We kept ours in the oven for a little over two hours in all.
When the chops are tender remove them from the oven and spoon/portion the paste out over the top of the pork chops.
Turn your oven to broil.
When you have the paste divided up evenly use a small spatula or the back of the spoon to spread the cheesy garlic mix ensuring the whole top of the chop is covered in a thick layer of paste.
Back into the oven to let the garlic paste slightly crisp and crust onto the pork. Keep a close eye while the oven is on broil and do not walk away.
Remove when the crust has started to brown slightly on top.
Remove from the oven and allow the meat to rest in its juices for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the pork to plates and spoon some pan juices over the top.
We brushed oil onto each garlic clove to ensure each was fully coated.
You can roast the heads of garlic whole with just the top portion cut off.
Make sure you keep the temperature below 375°F or the garlic will scorch making it bitter and nasty.
Storage:
Within 3 days; store it in an airtight container or baggie in the fridge.
Within a week; submerge the garlic in olive oil and refrigerate it for a week.
Extended; freeze roasted garlic cloves on a sheet tray then transfer the individually frozen cloves to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months
Nutrition & Macro Information
- Amount per serving
- Calories0
- % Daily Value*
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks delicious so I’m sure it is delicious. I’ll be trying it soon. I often cook 4 or 5 heads whole with the tops cut off & with olive oil poured over the tops & wrapped individually in tinfoil. We love it with & on everything. Since it doesn’t have the strong taste, we even put it on certain types of fish.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. It looks delicious so I’m sure it is delicious. I’ll be trying it soon. I often cook 4 or 5 heads whole with the tops cut off & with olive oil poured over the tops & wrapped individually in tinfoil. We love it with & on everything. Since it doesn’t have the strong taste, we even put it on certain types of fish. Thanks.