Spanish pork roast and brown rice

Tonight I tried another method for pork roast, which I've come to regard with wariness and low expectations. With the exception of CI's maple-glazed pork loin, I have never been too impressed with the oven-roasted pork recipes I've found. This time I mixed two Epicurious recipes---the ingredients for one and the method for a another---and the results were fantastic. The recipe is below. I wasn't entirely sure about the raisins, but I knew dried fruit and pork was a traditional combination, and I'm here to tell you it works.

I also had another Cooking for Two (2011) success: I used the Spanish-style skillet brown rice recipe with chickpeas and saffron, except for the saffron, because vanilla beans are about the most expensive I'll go for spices. Oh, and the pimentón de la vera that I used for the pork was a real splurge. Like, $6 for a palm-sized tin. So you see how I think. Since I remember Daisy Martinez saying that the flavors are similar, I used a pinch of whole achiote seeds steeped in the broth (and then strained out) instead. I'm not really sure if it made a difference, but whatever. I forgot we were eating brown rice because the texture was very much like white, which means this will definitely be my go-to brown rice method from now on.

I forgot to take pictures and already sliced up the leftover pork for salad...oh well. It was a nice brick red color with all the paprika, but otherwise not much to look at. 

Spanish Pork Roast with Sherry-Raisin Vinaigrette
Pork:
1 (2 1/2) lb. boneless pork loin roast, tied if unevenly sized
2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. sweet smoked Spanish paprika (La Chinata brand is available at Alon's. It comes in sweet, bittersweet, and hot; either of the first two would work here.)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. fresh coarse ground black pepper

Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. golden raisins
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
2 1/2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 small shallot, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

1. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and tie down its length with butcher's twine if necessary. Stir together salt, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and pepper and rub generously over surface of the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6-12 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Bring the pork to room temperature, about 30 minutes if your kitchen is warm. Set pork on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet and roast until the center registers 140 degrees, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest, loosely covered with foil, til temperature rises to 150 degrees, about 10 minutes.

3. While pork cooks, make vinaigrette: soak raisins in the sherry for 30 minutes. Add vinegar, shallots, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in oil. Add parsley just before serving.

4. Slice rested pork thinly and plate with a generous drizzle of the vinaigrette. Serves about 6.