PORK LOIN WITH FENNEL AND ONION STUFFING
Well, this will be my last post for a few days as we are soon off to enjoy some of what our South Island friends have to offer. I made a gorgeous pork roll the other day and stuffed it with fennel from my garden and onions and spices in a Barefoot Contessa inspired way.
A while back I saw the Contessa make a very similar pork loin and she served it with a lovely Cauliflower Gratin (one of my future posts for next week) made with Gruyere cheese & nutmeg to some friends she was having for a dinner party. It all looked so good, I had to try and emulate it at the first chance I could find.
I suppose another use for fennel piqued my curiosity, because I had some growing in my hubby’s lovely veggie garden project, so I was hooked from that point on. I must say, this one is a real winner!
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Cups (about 1 bulb with some of the fronds) Fennel, sliced fairly thin
2 Brown Onions, roughly chopped
*Crushed Sea Salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
4 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
2 Tbsp White wine or Verjuice
2 Cups Breadcrumbs
2 Kgs (4½ Lbs) Pork Loin, butterflied
*Amounts vary to taste.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F).
First, heat olive oil and the butter in a large sauté pan and add the fennel and onions with approximately 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fennel and onions soften and begin to brown.
Next, add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 2 more minutes.
Now add the wine or verjuice and cook for another minute, to deglaze the pan.
Next, add the breadcrumbs and approximately another teaspoon of salt to the stuffing mixture.
Flatten the pork on a clean surface fat side down, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, then spread the stuffing evenly on the pork and roll up jellyroll/log-style, ending with the fat on the top of the roll.
Next, you need to tie the roll with kitchen string or secure it with silicone food bands, then you need to rub it with a bit more olive oil, and season the outside of the roll liberally with salt and pepper.
Place the rolled pork loin into a roasting dish or on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes on the 2nd or 3rd rack of the oven (to begin to crisp the pork skin on top).
After the first 30 minutes, you need to lower the heat to 175 C (350 F) and roast for another 2 hours or until the meat in the middle of the roll reaches 58 C (137 F). Remember not to measure the temperature of the stuffing, so take care to make sure the thermometer is in the meat. It is a good idea to test it in several places to make sure.
Remove the roll from the oven and cover completely with aluminium foil and leave meat resting for 10 minutes.
Remove the strings or bands then slice thickly to serve.
Amazingly perfect, moist and tender pork…perfect for company or a holiday meal.
Until next week – bon appetite!
A while back I saw the Contessa make a very similar pork loin and she served it with a lovely Cauliflower Gratin (one of my future posts for next week) made with Gruyere cheese & nutmeg to some friends she was having for a dinner party. It all looked so good, I had to try and emulate it at the first chance I could find.
I suppose another use for fennel piqued my curiosity, because I had some growing in my hubby’s lovely veggie garden project, so I was hooked from that point on. I must say, this one is a real winner!
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Cups (about 1 bulb with some of the fronds) Fennel, sliced fairly thin
2 Brown Onions, roughly chopped
*Crushed Sea Salt
*Freshly ground black pepper
4 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
2 Tbsp White wine or Verjuice
2 Cups Breadcrumbs
2 Kgs (4½ Lbs) Pork Loin, butterflied
*Amounts vary to taste.
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F).
First, heat olive oil and the butter in a large sauté pan and add the fennel and onions with approximately 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fennel and onions soften and begin to brown.
Next, add the garlic and thyme and cook for about 2 more minutes.
Now add the wine or verjuice and cook for another minute, to deglaze the pan.
Next, add the breadcrumbs and approximately another teaspoon of salt to the stuffing mixture.
Flatten the pork on a clean surface fat side down, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, then spread the stuffing evenly on the pork and roll up jellyroll/log-style, ending with the fat on the top of the roll.
Next, you need to tie the roll with kitchen string or secure it with silicone food bands, then you need to rub it with a bit more olive oil, and season the outside of the roll liberally with salt and pepper.
Place the rolled pork loin into a roasting dish or on a sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes on the 2nd or 3rd rack of the oven (to begin to crisp the pork skin on top).
After the first 30 minutes, you need to lower the heat to 175 C (350 F) and roast for another 2 hours or until the meat in the middle of the roll reaches 58 C (137 F). Remember not to measure the temperature of the stuffing, so take care to make sure the thermometer is in the meat. It is a good idea to test it in several places to make sure.
Remove the roll from the oven and cover completely with aluminium foil and leave meat resting for 10 minutes.
Remove the strings or bands then slice thickly to serve.
Amazingly perfect, moist and tender pork…perfect for company or a holiday meal.
Until next week – bon appetite!
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3 Thoughts & Remarks:
I have been off pork roasts for awhile, this looks really good tho, I might have to try it!
Your roast looks amazing and very delish!
the stuffing will work well for roast beef, i think? looks yummy :)
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