Roasted Pork Loin with POM Wild Rice and Pomegranate Pecan Relish

POM Wild Rice:

Rub the pork loin in salt, pepper, garlic and fresh herbs and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours. Prepare fresh pomegranate juice, if necessary.* Prepare pomegranate arils, if necessary.** Set aside 1/2 cup arils for rice and 1/3 cup for relish. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all wild rice ingredients in a Dutch oven-style pot and cover with a lid. Cook in oven for approximately 90 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.

Pork Loin:

When rice is finished cooking, remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 325°F. In a hot pan, brown the pork in canola oil until well browned on all sides. Finish cooking in the oven until an internal temperature of 140°F to 160°F is reached. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing. Serve over POM Wild Rice, and top with Pomegranate-Pecan Relish.

Pomegranate-Pecan Relish:

Combine all relish ingredients and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Spoon over pork loin and serve.

*For 1 cup of juice, cut 2–3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

**To prepare arils, score 1–2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl.