Crown Roast of Pork with Vegetable Paella

Sunday dinner or holiday celebrations are kicked up another notch with this beautiful crown roast of pork with paella recipe.

The holidays are in full swing and this is the time of year to pull out all the stops. As parties with family and friends start to fill the calendar, we are all looking for dishes that will feed a crowd and maybe even provide leftovers for a lunch or dinner the next day, such as a crown roast of pork. The National Pork Board and Kitchen Play are pairing up this month to highlight the trends that are expected to show up on this year’s holiday tables, as uncovered by a recent survey. When the assignment of “global flavors” floated into my inbox, I got pretty excited.

The concept of “global flavors” is something I embrace wholeheartedly in my kitchen, regularly using ingredients found in cuisines from around the world, such as Thai, Indian and Japanese. It turns out I’m in good company. The survey revealed that more than 80% of Americans are looking to incorporate global flavors into their holiday meals. And really, who can blame them? International seasonings can turn a meal from run-of-the-mill into something memorable.

I had “Spain” on the mind, a small package of saffron threads sitting in my spice cabinet and an unbridled passion for all things Romesco. Putting them altogether seemed like the natural thing to do.

Crown roast of pork is one of those dishes that looks incredibly impressive but takes no more effort than making a standard pot roast. If your butcher does the work of frenching the ribs (cutting off the extra meat from the tips of the bones), making small cuts between each rib and tying it for you, then all you have to do is season the roast, fill it with a stuffing such as this vegetable paella and roast the little beauty.

The Paella:

The first step is to make the vegetable paella. This version is packed with red bell peppers, onions, Swiss chard and tomatoes. The golden color comes from the saffron threads, which are soaked in water and added to the cooking broth. About 1 cup of the paella is used to stuff the crown roast of pork and the rest is heated in a baking dish and then served on a platter, nestled around the finished roast.

The Romesco Sauce:

If you have never had Romesco sauce, prepare to be instantly infatuated. Not only does it pair with the crown roast beautifully, but it makes a fantastic spread for wrap sandwiches, a savory topping for scrambled eggs and an unexpected twist when stirred into a vegetable soup. The day after I cooked the roast, my husband and I made wrap sandwiches, filling them with the leftover pork, cut into small pieces, a healthy dollop of Romesco sauce and plenty of vegetables.

Be sure to let the roast rest for about 20 minutes once you remove it from the oven. If you cut into it too soon, all of the beautiful juices will run out onto the board, rather than staying inside to keep the meat moist.

The crown roast of pork recipe:

Vegetable Paella:

Place saffron threads in a medium-sized bowl. Add very hot water. Let stand for 15 minutes.

In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add red bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are starting to turn brown.

Add garlic and Arborio rice and cook until rice is glistening, about 1 minute.

Add chicken stock, Swiss chard and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add saffron and water mixture, smoked paprika and salt.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in peas, re-cover and cook for additional 5 minutes.

Pork Crown Roast:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together smoked paprika, kosher salt, pepper and canola oil. Pat the crown roast with paper towel to dry. Place in a lightly oiled roasting pan. Rub the smoked paprika mixture all over the pork.

Scoop approximately 1 cup of the vegetable paella into the top cavity of the crown roast. Cover the paella with a circular piece of oiled foil. Wrap the tips of the crown roast bones in foil.

Roast the pork for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F. and roast the pork for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F. when inserted deeply into the roast (make sure you are not measuring the temperature of the rice). The USDA states that if you are cooking the roast to 145 degrees, be sure to include at least a 3 minute rest time.

Transfer the pork to a platter and let rest for 20 minutes. While the pork is resting, place the remaining paella into a baking dish, cover with foil and heat in the oven.

Romesco Sauce:

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.

Add blanched almonds, chopped hazelnuts and bread pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until bread is lightly toasted and nuts are golden brown.

Transfer nuts and bread to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.

In the same saucepan set over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and cook until tomatoes start to thicken, 7 to 10 minutes.

Transfer to the food processor, along with roasted red peppers, sherry (or red wine) vinegar, salt and chile flakes. Process until well combined.

With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth.

Present the crown roast of pork on a serving platter, surrounded by the vegetable paella. To serve, remove the string and cut between the ribs. Serve with paella and Romesco sauce.

Printable Recipe

Crown Roast of Pork with Vegetable Paella

Sunday dinner or holiday celebrations are kicked up another notch with this beautiful crown roast of pork with paella recipe.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: Pork Recipes

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 835kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

Paella:

• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
• ½ cup very hot water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups chopped Swiss chard
• ¾ cup drained diced tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup fresh or frozen peas

Pork Crown Roast:

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• One 10 to 12-rib crown roast of pork about 6 ¾ pounds

Romesco Sauce:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
• 1 slice white bread
• 2 tablespoons blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped hazelnuts
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅔ cup canned diced tomatoes including some juices
• 3 whole roasted red peppers 6 halves
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

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Instructions

Vegetable Paella:

• Place saffron threads in a medium-sized bowl. Add very hot water. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add red bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are starting to turn brown.
• Add garlic and Arborio rice and cook until rice is glistening, about 1 minute.
• Add chicken stock, Swiss chard and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add saffron and water mixture, smoked paprika and salt.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in peas, re-cover and cook for additional 5 minutes.

Pork Crown Roast:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, stir together smoked paprika, kosher salt, pepper and canola oil. Pat the crown roast with paper towel to dry. Place in a lightly oiled roasting pan. Rub the smoked paprika mixture all over the pork.
• Scoop approximately 1 cup of the vegetable paella into the top cavity of the crown roast. Cover the paella with a circular piece of oiled foil. Wrap the tips of the crown roast bones in foil.
• Roast the pork for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F. and roast the pork for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 145 degrees F. when inserted deeply into the roast (make sure you are not measuring the temperature of the rice).
• Transfer the pork to a platter and let rest for 20 minutes. While the pork is resting, place the remaining paella into a baking dish, cover with foil and heat in the oven.

Romesco Sauce:

• Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat.
• Add blanched almonds, chopped hazelnuts and bread pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until bread is lightly toasted and nuts are golden brown.
• Transfer nuts and bread to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped.
• In the same saucepan set over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomatoes and cook until tomatoes start to thicken, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer to the food processor, along with roasted red peppers, sherry (or red wine) vinegar, salt and chile flakes. Process until well combined.
• With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth.
• Present the crown roast of pork on a serving platter, surrounded by the vegetable paella. To serve, remove the string and cut between the ribs. Serve with paella and Romesco sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (⅛ of Recipe) | Calories: 835kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 91g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 241mg | Sodium: 1668mg | Potassium: 1773mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1275IU | Vitamin C: 42.9mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 5.1mg

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kitchen Play and the National Pork Board. As always, the opinions stated here are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.