Rolled Pork Loin with Herb Pesto →

I love classic Mediterranean roast pork with plenty of garlic, rosemary, and ground fennel seed. When I saw this recipe by David McCann in Food and Wine Magazine, I was intrigued by his pairing of fresh Basil, Tarragon, and Dill for the pesto. If you want to try a different take on rolled roast pork loin, give this recipe a try. I chose to serve this hearty cold-weather dish with Squash Risotto (Risotto alla Zucca) and drizzled the sliced pork with chorizo vinaigrette at the table. Serve accompanied by broccolini, sauteed winter greens, or a simple salad of baby spinach and baby arugula dressed with a light vinaigrette. Buon appetito!

Rolled Pork Loin Stuffed with Herb Pesto and Prosciutto
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS
Pesto

• 1 cup fresh Basil leaves

• 1/2 cup fresh Tarragon leaves

• 1/2 cup fresh Dill leaves (*See note below)

• 3 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts chopped

• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

• 1 tablespoon grated fresh horseradish or 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

• Zest of 1 lemon

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pork

• 1 (3-pound) pork loin roast

• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

• 4-6 slices prosciutto

• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

PREPARATION
Pesto
1. Combine basil, tarragon, dill, scallions, thyme, horseradish, garlic, lemon zest, and oil in a small food processor. Process until mostly smooth.

 Pork   Preheat oven to 350°F.
1. Place the loin on a cutting board with the fat cap on the board and the small end facing you. With a very sharp knife, cut the loin lengthwise to within ½-inch of the bottom of the pork, cutting evenly and “unrolling” until you have a flat slice of pork about ½ inch thick.
2. Top the butterflied pork with plastic wrap and gently pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to an even ½ -inch thickness. Remove the plastic wrap and discard.
3. Sprinkle 1 ½ teaspoons of salt over the pork; spread evenly with pesto.
4. Top the pesto with prosciutto and sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmesan.
5. Roll the meat back into a tight spiral and, using butcher’s twine, tie the roll in about 1-inch intervals. Season on all sides with pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Rub the roast with olive oil. Sear, starting the fat side down and turning the roast occasionally until the roast is evenly browned. (about 10-12 minutes)
7. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 135°F, 45 to 50 minutes. (begin checking at 40 minutes)
8. Transfer to a cutting board. Tent the roast lightly with aluminum foil and let rest for about 15 minutes. 

*Note: feel free to sub chopped fresh rosemary, oregano, or parsley for any of the herbs, eg. ½  cup Basil, ½ cup Parsley, ¼ cup Thyme, ¼ cup Rosemary 

Wine pairing: white wine: a full-bodied fruit-forward Viognier, Dry Riesling, or Pinot Gris; red wine: Zinfandel, Nebbiolo, Beaujolais, Gamay, Grenache, or Syrah. Avoid red wines with heavy tannins.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pork-loin-stuffed-pesto-and-prosciutto by David McCann 

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto and Sage

Like its cousin beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin is a boneless, low-fat, high protein cut of meat. Unlike its cousin, however, pork tenderloin is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t come with a “beefy” price tag. Because of its relatively small size and mild flavor, a pork tenderloin cooks quickly and benefits from flavorful spice rubs or fruity sauces. This recipe calls for some of my favorite herbs and thinly sliced prosciutto to flavor the pork. Tying the mini-roasts with butchers twine secures the prosciutto and sage on the roasts and ensures that they cook evenly. You can do a quick sear on a cast iron skillet and then pop the roasts into a hot oven for a few minutes, or skip the sear and go directly to the oven for about 20 minutes. Pork tenderloin cooks quickly so don’t dry it out by over-cooking it. Flavorful, quick, and easy to prepare, combined with veggies of your choice, or a green salad, this simple recipe makes a delicious weeknight dinner for the family, or it can be served as the elegant main course of a more elaborate meal for guests. I hope you like it.

Roast Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium pork tenderloin about 1 pound

• 2 thin slices of prosciutto

• 4 large fresh sage leaves

• 2 cloves of garlic minced or grated to paste with a microplane

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary and ground fennel seed

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.

1. Rinse the tenderloin and pat it dry with a paper towel. Fold the tapered end of the tenderloin back on itself so you have a more or less uniform thickness of meat about 10 inches long. Cut the tenderloin in half so you have two small roasts approximately the same length and thickness.

2. Rub the mini-roasts with olive oil and garlic paste. Sprinkle lightly with the rosemary/fennel seed spice mixture and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

3. Lay a slice of prosciutto and two sage leaves on each roast. Tie each roast at 1 ½ inch intervals to secure the prosciutto and sage and maintain the form of each roast.

4. Coat the cooking surface of a cast-iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the skillet with the roasts in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roasts reaches 145 F. (Note: if you choose to sear the roasts before placing them in the oven, reduce the roasting time by about 5 minutes.)

5. Remove from the oven and tent for 5 minutes before removing the twine and slicing the meat.

Wine pairing: a medium-bodied red wine, or a fruity white wine with body that will stand up to the richness of the dish.

Rolled Pork Loin Roast with Marsala Mushrooms →

Stuffing and rolling a roast is a bit more work, but it yields important results. Rolling and tying the roast allows the meat to cook more evenly and the stuffing adds moisture and flavor to the interior of the roast. It also makes an impressive presentation for your family or dinner guests. I adapted this recipe for Marsala Sauce from Giada De Laurentiis’ cookbook Everyday Italian. Serve the dish with roasted potatoes and a green salad or corn and tomato salad.

Photo: c. foodblogchef 2021

Rolled Pork Loin Roast with Marsala Mushrooms
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds top loin pork roast, boneless, and butterflied

  (Note: if you aren’t comfortable butterflying the roast, have your butcher do it for you.)

• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• 2⁄3 cup grated Fontina cheese

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

• 8 ounces sliced shiitake or other wild mushrooms of your choice

• ½ cup sweet Marsala wine

• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth

• 1 medium shallot

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• salt and pepper

• 4 thin slices of prosciutto

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Mix the Panko, Fontina, and 1 tablespoon of sage in a medium bowl.

2. Lay the butterflied pork on a flat surface and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Spread the panko-cheese mixture evenly over the pork.

4. Roll the roast and arrange prosciutto slices across the top of the roast. Tie with kitchen twine at 1- to 1 ½ inch intervals. Place in a shallow roasting pan or cast-iron skillet, prosciutto side up, and roast for about 1 hour until a meat thermometer reads 140 F.

5. Remove roast from the oven, snip off the twine, and let rest 15-20 minutes.

6. While the roast rests, saute the shallot and garlic in 3 tablespoons butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until the shallot begins to turn golden (about 1 minute).

7. Add the mushrooms and 1 tablespoon of chopped sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, and they begin to brown (6 to 8 minutes).

8. Add the Marsala and rosemary sprig and reduce by ½.

9. Add the broth and lemon zest and reduce by ½.

10. Add a tablespoon of oil to a hot skillet and sear the pork roast for about a minute on each of all sides.

11. Remove the roast to a cutting board and cut the pork in ½ inch thick slices. Top with the cooked mushrooms and Marsala sauce.

Wine pairing: a rosé or Pinot Noir pair well with this dish. For white wine, try a Rhone style white wine like Viognier or Roussanne.

Tonnato with Cold Rolled Pork Loin Roast with Herbs, Prosciutto, Panko, and Fontina →

Tonnato is a flavorful Italian sauce made with tuna, anchovy, capers, olive oil, egg yokes, and lemon juice. Often paired with veal (Vitello Tonnato) or turkey, it is also excellent on salads or as a dip for raw veggies! This recipe pairs tonnato with thinly sliced, cold, rolled pork loin roast. Serve it as an antipasto with a special meal, or as a light lunch with a salad. Buon Appetito!

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 2 ½ pounds top loin pork roast, boneless, and butterflied

  (Note: if you aren’t comfortable butterflying the roast, have your butcher do it for you.)

• 1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• 2⁄3 cup grated Fontina cheese

• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

• 1 cup mayonnaise

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 1- 6-ounce can tuna in olive oil (not drained)

• 2 anchovy fillets (if you love anchovies add an extra fillet!)

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons drained capers

• 4 thin slices of Prosciutto

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

1. Mix the Panko, Fontina, and 1 tablespoon of sage in a medium bowl.

2. Lay the butterflied pork on a flat surface and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

3. Spread the panko-cheese mixture evenly over the pork.

4. Roll the roast and arrange prosciutto slices across the top of the roast. Tie with kitchen twine at 1- to 1 ½ inch intervals. Place in a shallow roasting pan or cast-iron skillet, prosciutto side up, and roast for about 1 hour until a meat thermometer reads 140 F.

5. Remove the roast from the oven, snip off the twine, tent and let it rest 15-20 minutes.

6. While the pork roast rests, add the mayonnaise, olive oil, tuna, anchovy fillets, lemon juice, and capers to a blender and process until creamy and smooth. Set aside and refrigerate. The tonnato will keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for several days.

7. Add a tablespoon of oil to a hot skillet and sear the pork roast for about a minute on each of all sides until nicely browned. A minute per side should be enough; you’re just browning, you don’t want to continue to cook the roast and dry it out.

8. Serve the pork roast thinly sliced at room temperature or chilled with tonnato on the side.

9. A green salad and some crusty bread complete the light meal.

Wine pairing: this dish pairs well with a rosé or Pinot Noir. For white wine, you can try a Viognier or Roussanne from the Rhone Valley.