PORK ROAST LOIN STUFFED w/PRUNES

By BobD

Ingredients

• Makes 8 servings
• 1/2 pound pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup bourbon
• One 3-pound boneless center loin of pork roast (see note)
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) carrots
• 1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) celery
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped onions
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2-1/2 cups Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from lidiasitaly.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a small bowl, soak the prunes in the bourbon for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Drain the prunes and reserve four of them along with the soaking liquid. Arrange the remaining soaked prunes along with the soaking liquid. Arrange the remaining soaked prunes along the entire length of the slit in the roast. Fold the flap over the opening and tie the roast securely with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals. Thread the sage leaves in two rows through the twine on either side of the roast. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper and rub it with the olive oil.. Place the roast in an 18 X 14-inch roasting pan.

Roast for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Tilt the roasting pan and spoon off the excess fat from the bottom. Scatter the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic around the roast. Roast for another 15 minutes. Add the reserved prunes and soaking liquid and roast for another 10 minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and continue cooking, basting the roast occasionally with the pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 155 degrees F, 30 to 40 minutes.

Remove the roast to a platter. Pass the contents to a pan through a food mill fitted with the fine disc into a small bowl. (Alternatively, strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible and to force some of the vegetables through the sieve.) Skim all fat from the surface of the sauce. The sauce should be thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. If not, transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thick enough to lightly coat a spoon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, if needed. Cut the meat into 1/4 -inch thick slices and serve with the sauce.

Note: You can ask your butcher to bone the center rib roast, or you can do it yourself: Stand the meat on the backbone with the rib bones pointing upwards. With a sharp boning knife, start from the far end and work toward you, separating the meat from the rib bones by pressing–almost scraping–the knife along the rib bones. Use a series of small, easy strokes and cut all along the bones, following the rib bones along the curve4 to the backbone4 until the meat is free of the bones. You will have a compact “eye” of the roast, with a small flap attached to the side. If there is a stuffing for the roast, it is helpful to make a cut about halfway through and along the entire length of the eye. Place the filling in this cut and fold the small flap over the opening before tying the roast to secure the filling. Whether you bone the roast yourself or let the butcher do it, always reserve the bones. Cut them into smaller pieces with a cleaver and add them to the roasting pan along with the vegetables–they will add much flavor. The rib roast will come with a layer of fat on the outside. With a sharp knife, shave most of it off, leaving a thin layer that will protect the meat from drying out while cooking.