Banting Roast Pork Fillet with Sweet and Sour Marinade

My son has an interest in China as it was their theme at school this term. Whilst this recipe is not an authentic Chinese one, it is delicious none the less. My husband has a fabulous crop of tomatoes and we are enjoying their sunripe goodness everyday in different ways. I remembered this recipe and decided to give it an update and cook it for supper. The meat is marinading as I write and the sauce is good enough to bottle and eat with anything - next week I will use it on chicken and at our next barbeque I will serve some in a bowl with grilled rump steak.

Pork Fillet is a good cut of meat, but needs a little dressing up to make it more inspiring to eat. This sweet and sour marinade is cooked to enhance the flavour and then blended to make a smooth marinade and basting sauce.

Serves 4-6

1.5kg pork fillet

1 large red onion finely chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

2T butter

3T balsamic vinegar

3 tomatoes cut into wedges or a cup of carb free pasta sauce (I use homemade)

1 cup water

50ml chicken or vegetable stock

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Fry the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and water. Cover with a lid and simmer until the water has evaporated. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Place in a blender together with the stock until smooth. Allow to cool.

Marinate the pork overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Return the pork to room temperature. Place in an oven dish together with 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Cook for an hour or until done to your liking. Baste the meat every 20 minutes and turn the pork after 30 minutes.

Serve with roast potatoes and stir fried vegetables.

Alternatively, slice the fillet into medallions and marinade them overnight. Fry in a little olive oil to cook.

Tip: use the marinade as a sauce for pizza and pastas. You can leave it chunky for more texture and add fresh basil to it.