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Braciolona

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Ingredients

  • Roasted Garlic Paste:
  • 6 heads of fresh garlic
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Braciolona:
  • 1-2 lb. section of pork loin (or shoulder or (large) tenderloin)
  • 3 Tbsp. garlic paste (see above)
  • 4-5 cloves of fresh garlic
  • 1 medium onion – diced
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 1/2 cups pork stock (or chicken or beef)
  • 1/4 cup whole dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
  • Juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 1 large can (28oz.) whole tomatoes
  • 1 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup parsley
  • red pepper flakes
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from thefreshdish.com

Preparation

Step 1

Garlic Paste:

Turn the oven on at 450. Take the garlic and cut off the tops of the heads with a sharp knife. Meanwhile, take some tinfoil and break off 3 squares of it. Take 2 heads of garlic and place them in the middle of a tinfoil square. Drizzle a touch of olive oil on top of the garlic heads and wrap them up tightly, bringing the tinfoil to a close at the top, creating a little ‘garlic bundle’ – repeat this for the rest of the garlic heads, two in each package.

Roast in the oven for around an hour – or until the garlic becomes golden brown and soft. Remove the garlic bundles and let cool for 10 minutes or so. Take the garlic heads out of the tinfoil and literally squeeze the cloves out into a bowl (the food processor bowl preferably) – repeat this for all the heads. Place the roasted garlic in a food processor and add a pinch of salt and about 1 tsp. of olive oil. Process until smooth.

Braciolona:

Start with the pork, your board and a sharp knife. There should be a fat side of the pork and lean side. Starting at the fat side, cut a small amount about 1/2″ above the bottom of the pork, allowing the pork to sort of ‘roll off’ onto its side.

You’re looking for a flat piece of meat here, so the thinner the better, but don’t cut through the meat exposing holes. Once this is done, salt and pepper the meat and set aside.

Meanwhile over medium heat, add a bit of olive oil to a pan and 1/2 of the onions and brown them – being careful not to get them too dark. While you’re doing this, toast your pine nuts in another pan or oven. Set them aside. Add the oregano and red pepper flakes (and some fresh garlic optionally) and continue to cook the onions, lowering the heat if necessary. Add in the spinach and 1/4 cup of the stock and cover, letting the spinach steam for 2-3 minutes, then uncover.

Once the liquid is gone, transfer the mixture to your food processor. Add the pine nuts, feta cheese, cranberries, mint, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan (reserving a little of this to finish the dish). Process, adding about 1 tsp. of olive oil, which should turn the mixture into a paste.

Back to the pork. Take your roasted garlic paste and smear a thin layer onto the pork – then take your newly created spinach paste and spear a thin layer of that onto the pork as well. You then want to roll the pork up – literally. Start from one end and simply roll it to the other – fairly tight. Some of the filling might fall out, but that’s ok. Using butcher’s twine, tie the roast in a few places pretty tight. Salt and pepper it.

Now to cook it, take a heavy bottomed pot – like a dutch oven – add oil and heat over high heat until oil is smoking. Add the pork in there and brown on all sides – about 10-15 minutes. Then remove the pork and set aside. Lower the heat a bit (and take out any burnt pieces) and add in the rest of the onion, salt and fresh garlic and cook until translucent. Add in the wine, a little stock and tomatoes, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands. Salt to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer and add the pork back into the pot.

Cover and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your loin. Once it’s done, remove the loin and let it rest for a while before slicing. If desired, you can reduce the braising liquid a little and serve that on top of the pork, topped with some Parmesan…or simply add some cauliflower to the liquid, cook and serve alongside. Enjoy!

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