Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
How to stuff a boneless pork loin for a stunning Christmas roast
Sausage and pistachiostuffed roast pork loin
My penchant for tucking recipe notes, menus and snapshots into my cookbook pays off in dividends later.
Searching for ideas for holiday meals, I discovered a menu I cooked for college friends: pistachiostuffed pork with Brussels sprouts and homemade grapefruit sorbet for dessert.
Madeleine Kamman’s 1976 gastronomic memoir, “When French Women Cook,” inspired the meal. Early in my career, I took classes with Kamman in Chicago and in her home in Annecy, France.
I remain a fan of her terse, academic style.
I can hear her French-accented instructions with every recipe; I’m a better cook when I listen to her.
This year, I’ll make a tribute version of her stuffed pork.
Tribute, because pork has changed so much since she wrote the original recipe.
Because today’s pork is far leaner and therefore easy to overcook into dryness, the cooking time is almost half of Kamman’s recommendation.
Older cookbooks call for higher temperatures, but today the National Pork Board recommends a finished internal temperature between 145 and 160 degrees.
A boneless pork loin makes a beautiful holiday presentation and delivers a light pork flavor.
The stuffing of mild sausage and salty pistachio nuts pleases everyone. Kamman combines black pepper with sweet spices to season the filling and the exterior.
Be sure the butcher leaves about inch of fat on the top of the roast to help retain moisture.
As a foil to the warm spices, I’ll add some spicy heat to our cooked cranberry relish.
A little smoky chipotle chile adds a savory element that pairs great with the roast loin. Just add the chile cautiously, so the tart cranberry remains the star.
An electric carving knife proves the key to successful roast carving.
I’m lucky. Mine is a gift from my new sonin-law. Welcome to the family and to many holiday meals together — savory and spicy. Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 2 hours 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. ounces mild Italian sausage, removed from casing cup shelled, salted, natural pistachio nuts, roughly chopped cup fresh breadcrumbs tablespoons chopped fresh chives tablespoons chopped fresh parsley tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon ground sage recipe five-spice blend, see below Salt, pepper to taste boneless top loin pork roast, about 4 pounds cup port wine or red wine or more broth cups low-sodium chicken broth tablespoons flour dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water Fresh parsley 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. 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. 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. Transfer pork to a carving board. Tent with foil, and keep warm. 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. 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.
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