CALABRESE HERB STUFFED PORK ROAST (Serves 8)

Suggested Side Dishes

Couscous
Orange Relish
Arugula and Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

1 - 7 lb. pork loin roast, bones removed, tied
2 long rosemary sprigs
3 to 4 ounces thinly sliced, meaty pancetta
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups dry white wine
2 cups water
1 to 1 ½ cups chicken stock
Fresh ground black pepper
Italian parsley for garnish
Herbed Salt (recipe follows)

Herbed Salt

2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon kosher salt
25 fresh sage leaves
3 rosemary sprigs, leaves

Prepare the Roast

Chop the garlic with the sea salt.

Chop the sage, then the rosemary. Mix them together with the salt and garlic and chop again.

Begin to stuff the roast with a little about 3 tablespoons of the herbed salt, pushing the herbed salt down inside the center of the pork roast with your fingers.

Place one rosemary sprig into each end of the roast.

Add the kosher salt to the remaining herbed salt and chop again. Rub all over the outside of the roast.

Cover the top of the roast with the thin slices of pancetta.

Transfer the roast to a pan and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Let come to room temperature before cooking, at least one hour.

Cook the Roast

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Unwrap the roast and rub it with the olive oil. Set the roast on a rack in a roasting pan.

Add the water to the bottom of the pan. Roast for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

Remove the roast from the oven and turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Turn the roast over on the rack and pour some of the white wine over the top. You will pour the white wine over the roast several times so just make sure you have about ½ cup left over to pour in the pan juices later for the au jus.

Return the roast to the oven. It should take about 1 ½ hours for the pork to cook. Pour more wine over the top about every 20 minutes and a little chicken stock into the bottom of the pan. Make sure the juices do not burn in the bottom. Add more stock and water if need be. Turn the roast back over for the last 30 minutes.

Insert a thermometer into the center of the pork. When it reads 145 degrees the pork is done.

Transfer the pork to a platter and allow to set.

Skim the fat off of the pan juices and add the rest of the wine. Set the roasting pan over two burners and allow the au jus to simmer. Cook about two minutes and scrape the drippings from the bottom of the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Remove the pancetta from the top of the roast and chop. Set aside.

Remove the strings from the roast and carve. Place the pieces on a platter and sprinkle with the pancetta.

Chop the parsley and sprinkle over the platter.

Serve with warm au jus.

Helpful Hints

Food Prepping Prepare the Orange Relish about 3 to 4 hours ahead of time.

Prep the chickpeas about ½ hour before the roast is done and have the arugula cleaned and in a serving bowl ready to go when the roast is finished.

The couscous is so Easy. Make sure you buy instant. It tastes great and you can make it just before you take the roast out of the oven. I take a big platter and lay the carved roast down the middle and couscous along both sides. I sprinkle some chopped parsley on top of the couscous for the presentation. The roast looks beautiful when served this way.