Every Sunday night we try to all sit down and have a family dinner.  We attempt this in the week, but it never seems to quite work.  There's always lacrosse practice, a singing lesson, or a catch up session with the math tutor that sabotages my efforts.  So Sunday it is. If we're lucky Grandma comes to join in, but she's a busy lady so we have to book her in early.  These dinners can of course dissolve into chaos but I try to set a tone, so that at least they know what fork to use and remember to keep their elbows of the table. 

Yesterday morning I visited the local farmer's market.  They're just getting going for the season and I purchased a beautiful looking pork loin from Nellie who runs a local farm producing pork, chicken and a limited amount of beef. 

The vegetables I have to admit were not from the market but I thought the combination was a nice one and it certainly seemed to go down well at the dinner table.  To be fair anything with corn is a winner with my children.

Here's what worked well for our Sunday Dinner.

1, 2lb boneless pork loin
1 lemon, zest and juice
A large handful of fresh herbs (rosemary, oregano or sage work well with the pork)
salt and pepper

For the Succotash

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 large gulg of olive oil
1 large onion
1 tablespoon of fresh herbs (same as above)
3-4 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cob
1 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of edamame beans (frozen)
Good splash of white wine (optional)

Heat the oven to 350F

Wash and pat dry your loin of pork

Squeeze the lemon juice all over the pork and season with the zest, chopped herbs, salt and pepper.

Put into the oven and roast until the internal temperature is 150.  Don't go any higher otherwise the pork will be dry. 

While the pork is roasting, make the succotash.

In a good sized saute pan heat the butter and the olive oil. 

Add the diced onion, minced herbs, season with salt and pepper and saute gently for about 5-6 minutes until soft but not browned.

Cut the corn by standing the cob up straight and slicing downward cutting the kernels off.  Add to the pan and cook for another few minutes.  Add the wine if using.

Add the frozen peas and edamame beans. Saute on a low heat until thoroughly cooked through.

Remove from heat, check seasonings and add a squeeze of lemon.  Pour into a warm serving dish.

When the pork is cooked, removed from oven, transfer to a warm serving dish, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes.

Transfer the pork to a cutting board, slice and return to the serving dish along with juices. 

Enjoy with a green salad and perhaps a warm loaf of ciabatta.

My girls decided to make a batch of cupcakes for dessert.  Here are some of them rather intently frosting and taste testing.