Sausage and pistachio-stuffed roast pork loin
Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 2 hours Makes: 8 servings
Have the butcher leave about ¼ inch of fat on the roast. Also, ask him or her to butterfly the roast so that it opens out like an unfolded letter. 8 ounces mild Italian sausage, removed from casing 1 cup shelled, salted, natural pistachio nuts, roughly chopped ½ cup fresh breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon ground sage 1 recipe five-spice blend, see below Salt, pepper to taste 1 boneless top loin pork roast, about 4 pounds ¼ cup port wine or red wine or more broth 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth 3 tablespoons flour dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water Fresh parsley 1 Mix sausage, nuts, breadcrumbs, chives, parsley, sage, 1 tablespoon of the spice blend and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Season with plenty of black pepper.
2 Heat oven to 325 degrees. Untie pork roast and lay it out flat on your work surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pat the pork sausage mixture in an even layer over the opened-up pork roast. Fold the edges over the roast, and roll the roast into a compact shape to enclose the filling. Tie the roast in several places to make a compact shape.
3 Place the roast in a lightly oiled large roasting pan. Rub the roast on all sides with the remaining spice mixture and salt. Roast, 1 hour. Rotate the pan. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest portion of roast registers between 140 and 145 degrees, usually 20 to 30 minutes more.
4 Transfer pork to a carving board. Tent with foil, and keep warm.
5 For pan gravy, use a spoon to remove excess fat from the pan juices. Set roasting pan over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the wine, and boil and stir to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pan. Whisk in chicken broth and dissolved flour. Whisk constantly until sauce is smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a serving dish.
6 Serve the roast thinly sliced with a drizzle of the pan gravy. Garnish with parsley
Five spice blend: Mix 2 teaspoons each freshly ground black pepper, nutmeg and ground ginger with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Store in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Nutrition information per serving: 453 calories, 20 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 144 mg cholesterol, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g sugar, 56 g protein, 256 mg sodium, 2 g fiber