Thanks to the recent spell of good weather (in Scotland too!), we’ve got a glut of herbs. There’s something special about going out into the garden to pick herbs for a dish you’re making, but at the moment I can’t keep up with our herb growth rate.
I found a recipe for pork loin steaks the other day which neatly took care of some of the excesses. The delicious, tender results were an added bonus.
If you have any left-over herb paste, use it to baste fish or chicken, or dilute it slightly with more oil and a little vinegar, and use it in salads.
We got our pork steaks from the wonderful Nethergate Larder stall at the near-by Farmers’ Market, which runs at Loch Lomond Shores the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month.
Pork Loin Steaks with Herb Paste
- 4 pork loin steaks
- Fresh basil (2-3 generous handfuls)
- Flat-leaf parsley (1 generous handful)
- 1 lemon, zested
- 4tbsp rapeseed or olive oil, plus a tsp
- 1 heaped tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Take the pork steaks out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree C.
Place the basil, parsley, lemon zest, 4tbsp oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a mini food processor or blender and whizz till you get a thick, green paste.
Brush the pork steaks with the tsp of oil and fry on each side for a minute to seal and colour the meat. Remove from the heat, brush with the herb paste so each steak gets a thick coating.
Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the individual steaks. Pork meat should be cooked through and the meat white, but be careful not to overcook the steaks.
Serve with salad and green beans.
Carbs – about 2g per serving.
Diabetes Diet 
It’s so good to use herbs in your cooking and fresh ones are best – but I do keep a few dried ones in the kitchen cupboard just in case!
All the best Jan
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Thanks Jan! I am a big fan of dried oregano too.
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Chop up and steep any spare herbs in apple cider vinegar for up to a month (make sure the herbs are covered), strain and store to use later in salad dressings or do that they did in days of old and put a splash of herb vinegar into your greens (or stews, or any sort of pot dish) towards the end of the cooking. Gives you a double whammy of the active constituents of the herbs and the vinegar makes the nutrients in the dish more bio-available. Rosemary, tarragon, sage and dill vinegars are amazing
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I’m going to have to do that Jane – I’ve got tonnes of sage and rosemary!
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It’s so good for you. Helps prevent osteoporosis and other diseases of older age. try and use organic apple cider vinegar with the mother – like this : https://www.baldwins.co.uk/biona-organic-mother-apple-cider-vinegar-750ml?gclid=CMGinMyb-MwCFeYK0wod7MkAww – even better for you 🙂
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Good tip! I’ve tried that vinegar before and it’s lovely – not as harsh as some of the cheaper cider vinegars can be.
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