Books For Cooks: Packing pork with flavor, aroma

If getting weeknight meals to the table is a pain, Robin Miller’s new cookbook could help.

She’s full of ideas for stocking the pantry so that families can get dinner to the table fast. For example, Seared Chicken with Sundried Tomato Sauce can be finished in less than 20 minutes.

Not fast enough? With a little advance preparation it can be ready to serve in about eight minutes.

The book also has ideas for five-ingredient meals, slow-cooker meals, tips for “morphing” leftovers and details on “banking” meals (making them ahead).

Miller, host of the Food Network’s “Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller,” is a mom and a nutritionist. She has seven books to her credit, including the best-selling “Quick Fix Meals.”

Here’s a recipe from the new book:

Parmesan-Sage Pork Loin

Load up your favorite roasting pan with vegetables, pork and seasonings, and sit back and relax. The aromas emanating from the kitchen will knock your socks off. This meal gives you a slow-cooked taste without having to wait all day (unless you choose to slow-cook it; see note).

2 cups diced red potatoes, unpeeled

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup dry sherry

1 (2-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed of silverskin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons dried sage

1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the potatoes, onion, celery and carrots in a large roasting pan. Pour the broth and sherry over them.

Season the pork all over with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the sage and garlic-and-herb seasoning. Place the pork on top of the vegetables and sprinkle with the Parmesan (press the cheese into the meat).

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit, about 45 minutes. Let the pork rest for 10 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve with the vegetables and brothy sauce.

Have it your way: If you don’t want to add sherry, substitute an equal amount of orange or pineapple juice or add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract when you add the broth; any of these ingredients will provide the sweetness you’d get from the sherry.

Slow cook it: Follow the directions above, except arranging the ingredients in a large slow cooker instead of a roasting pan. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 437 calories, 11 grams fat (4.4 grams saturated, 23 percent fat calories), 54 grams protein, 23 grams carbohydrate, 140 milligrams cholesterol, 3.6 grams dietary fiber, 588 milligrams sodium.