Roast Pork Loin with Prunes and Apples
Recipe By: Dave Mathews
Serving Size: 4
Preparation Time: 45 min
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 2 hrs
1/2 pound pitted prunes
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (2-pound) boneless center cut pork loin, trimmed and tied.
Marinate in Oriental Marinade for an hour or so.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots, thickly sliced
2 stalks celery, thickly, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
20 small potatoes, quartered
4 tablespoons butter or margarine if needed
4 apples, such as Cortland or Rome peeled, cored and cut into 8 slices
1. Simmer the prunes in one cup wine for 20 minutes, covered. Cool.
2. Season the pork loin with salt and pepper. Stuff the prunes, thyme and garlic into the pork (you do not need to untie the roast, simply push the prunes inside the openings).
3. Marinate Pork.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 F°. In a large Dutch oven heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Sear the meat until golden brown on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the meat to a plate and set it aside.
5. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, potatoes the butter or margarine to the Dutch oven if needed. Stir until the vegetables are browned, about 12 minutes.
6. Stir in the sliced apples, then push the mixture to the sides and set the pork loin in the middle of the skillet along with any collected juices on the plate. 7. Roast the loin in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 140 F°, about 30 to 40 minutes. (Pork cooked this way will be slightly pink. If desired, cook the pork to 160 F°, but be aware that this lean cut will not be as moist at the higher temperature.)
8. Transfer the pork a cutting board and cover it loosely with foil for 10 minutes.
9. Blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter/margarine to the apple mixture.
10. Arrange the apples and vegetables on a serving platter and set aside.
11. Remove the strings from the roast and slice into 1/2-inch thick pieces and arrange over the apple mixture.
