fennel & pork
i've long been a fan of the combination of fennel and pork (think sweet italian sausage). i've only recently discovered that salt, pepper, and only one or two additional seasonings can bring fantastic results. at least in terms of flavoring roasted meats, simplicity is often a good thing.
here we have pork loin rubbed with salt, black pepper, and fennel--pan seared, then finished in the oven. i was too hungry to wait for rice to cook and didn't have anything else to eat with it, so i've made it into a sandwich.
sidenote: as much as i like mustard as a condiment and seasoning, it doesn't go well with fennel at all. (i say this because the sauce in the picture is some of my favorite spicy mustard =P)
Martha claims that fennel seeds taste like meat. I think they taste like Aunt Mary's cooking. I hope you saved me some of that roast