Pork Loin Stuffed with Prunes

Prunes were once a staple in American kitchens of yesteryear. They were versatile for desserts, fancy enough for the dinner table, affordable, nutritious and, most importantly, they stored well. "Stewed prunes" were "a thing"; now we have breakfast bars.

Prune cakes were common in our grandmothers' time. Today, you rarely see them. Paging through old cookbooks, a certain prune cake always shows up, one made with spices, often nuts. The one I had my eye on included black walnuts, of which I have a bag in the freezer. So I picked up a small bag of prunes.

I still haven't made the cake. But the prunes are all gone! I cut up a few to mix with morning hot oatmeal. When I baked a half or quarter of a chicken, I threw some around it--I'm now addicted to chicken with prunes. A great combination!

Eastern European countries love prunes. And poppyseeds. I grew up with poppyseed cake and, at Christmas, prune--filled cookies. Impossible to find anymore.

Anyway, I scored a nice pork loin earlier in the week that had, miracle of miracles, a genuine fat cap! I grabbed it. Any roast meat needs a fat cap for flavor and basting to keep it moist throughout cooking. Here in the States, meat is cut lean for health reasons. Now, with meat prices so high, they are shaving off even more fat to cut down on weight/price. (Please take note: a pork loin is not the same as a pork tenderloin!)

Pork stuffed with prunes is nothing new in Poland. Most delis sell a version of it cold. Sliced thin, it is eaten as a sandwich with butter, horseradish, pickled red cabbage . . .

I looked up a few recipes and gave it a try. I'm glad I did. It's a bit tricky to score the hole for the prunes. It just takes some patience. Because most pork loins are more oval than round, I tied my two-pound roast to make it more compact and cylindrical (how-to video is at the end of this article). A roast that is tied and uniform is always more visually appealing. I'm not keen on netting or "meat girdles" for roasts.

Tie the best you can

Method:

Using a sharp knife with a pointed tip (a boning knife is ideal), carefully maneuver into center of your roast and through it. Remove the knife, and re-insert again Using a rounded long-handled implement, such as a dowel, (think wooden spoon), ram the hole to stretch it a bit larger.

Mix your spices in a small bowl. Now stuff the loin, lightly dipping each prune into the spice mixture so it seasons the pork from the inside. Next, tie into a neat, cylindrical shape and roll in remaining spice mixture. If desired, tuck a rosemary frond under the strings. I like to spread the top with a bit of butter and a drizzle of olive oil so it all melts into a rich gravy.

Place loin a bed of thin-sliced onion rounds that have been salted and peppered.  Add a bit of water/wine/stock. Surround the pan with a few prunes making sure they are somewhat immersed in liquid so they won't dry out.

Place in a pre-heated 350 oven and roast until temperature registers about 145 F. I prefer my pork just a tad underdone. You do you. If, at any time, the pan juices seem sparse, add a bit more liquid. Figure about 20 minutes per pound. It cooks quickly, so make sure when you cut your onions they are not so thick that they won't be done.

Spice Rub: Use any combination of the following to taste: Kosher salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme flakes, marjoram flakes, lightly-crushed fennel seeds (you don't need much and do not omit), minced fresh rosemary, sage. I like lemon with my pork, so I zest in a bit and my Italian season blend contains dried lemon, so I use a bit of that, too

When done, remove from oven and place the roast and extra prunes on a dish. Cover loosely with tin foil. If you want a savory, oniony gravy, mash the now-softened onions. Gently heat on low, mixing the "gravy." Remove to a small bowl or measuring cup. Blitz with an immerson blender until smooth. 

Or

Serve onion slices alongside thin-slices of roast with the extra prunes. Strain gravy through sieve and serve. Good with mashed potatoes.

This is great served cold sprinkled with a good salt.

Pork Loin with Herbed Salt Rub

A wonderfully-seasoned pork roast cooked to perfection with just a blush of pink.

A roast is one of the easiest of meals to prepare, especially if you have a family. Pop it in the oven and it's done. And leftover slices make for great sandwiches, either warm or cold.

Unfortunately, finding a good roast is not always easy. Most super market selections are de-boned for convenience and scalped of fat for the health-conscious consumer. When I lived in a small rural town in Indiana, my neighborhood grocer had incredible roasts, especially pork roasts, bone in, and with a nice layer of fat which one wants when oven-cooking. They were always tender and wonderfully juicy and succulent--and I suspect they were local. I haven't had a good beef rump roast since I left Michigan several years ago. 

For this particular recipe, I used a pork loin roast (not to be confused with pork tenderloin, a different cut). Pork loins are usually uniform in shape, so they bake evenly. The one pictured still had a nice layer of fat, though I would have liked a bit more. I bought a 4 lb. roast and cut it into two 2 lb. sections, freezing one for later use.

The salt rub took some experimentation and trial-and-error. Don't be put off by the lemon and don't omit it or the fennel seeds.

• 1 pork loin roast, 2-3lbs.
• 1 heaping tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
• 1 1/2 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
• 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose pepper
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

Using a damp paper towel, wipe the roast and set aside on a large plate.

In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, sage, crushed fennel seed, garlic, salt and pepper and lemon zest. Using the back of a spoon (or a mortar and pestle if you have one) work the salt into the herbs. Add the olive oil and continue mashing away. 

Begin spooning salt rub over pork roast, top and bottom, and work in with your fingers.

Pork loin is quite lean. That bit of fat on top will prevent it
from drying out as it roasts.

Place roast on a rack inside a roasting pan large enough to hold it. It's important to put it on a rack so it does not rest on bottom of pan. Roast at 350 F degrees until a quick-read thermometer registers 140 F degrees (about 20-30 minutes per pound). Remove from oven and allow to rest a good 15 minutes or so before carving. Cut thin slices and serve. (At this point, the salt and herbs have pretty much done their job forming a crust and flavoring the meat, so you need not worry about them falling off.)

If you desire gravy, just add a bit of water to the juices in the bottom of the pan and re-heat over low heat until bubbly. Add a small knob of butter to richen it up a bit. (If you have it on hand, a shot or two of the old stand-by Kitchen Bouquet never hurt.)

I served mine with a side of mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.

Notes: I used a micro-plane to zest my lemon which makes for fine, fluffy zest. There's nothing worse than overcooked pork. You want that bit of pink. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, crush the fennel seeds with a rolling pin or the back of spoon. A mini-spice mill makes easy work of it all, though.