Pork Lovers’ Heaven

Pork Lovers’ Heaven pork tenderloin stuffed with ground pork and wrapped in bacon makes a grand entrance to your table any time of the year.   A delicate white meat, pork is the most succulent when cooked to perfection.  In this recipe the three layers come together and  produce the ultimate taste.

Pork known as the other white meat, always pleases the palate.  Whether savoury and sweet, pork comes to the table dressed for any occasion. I love entertaining with pork; it is a good value for your money and it is elegant. Pork is one of the most commonly used meats world wide.  When my nonna was a little girl in Italy, pork was more common than beef in their cooking.  She used pork in many dishes and even a little went a long way for taste and aroma.

The immigrants cured pork and created the famous soppressata, salami, prosciutto, capocollo and salsiccia.  All these products became much sought after as the years went by; how lucky we were to grow up with such a rich cultural background where the kitchen was full of the foods our ancestors ate.  My favourite was and is the dried sausage; we don’t make it anymore, but I buy it at Italian specialty stores.  Immersed in oil, I love to take it out, cut it up and enjoy a nice glass of Primitivo because it pairs well with the spiciness of the sausage.  With this dish a white wine pairs well, but I am a red wine lover and will go with a Chianti Classico or a Pino Noir.

I cut the pork tenderloin in half and then pound it with a mallet.

The stuffing goes down the centre and now I roll it up and use toothpicks to secure it.

After I rub the pork tenderloin with the oil and spices, I place it on a grill and sear it.

This grill goes directly from the stovetop to the oven and now the pork cooks another 20 minutes on each side.

After it rests, I begin to cut it and it looks amazingly succulent.

Arrange it on a platter and let your guests add their own amount of sauce.

Our friends Lorne and Sheila Levy enjoy the meal with us.

You can individually plate it and add whole apricots to the sauce over the pork before serving.

Print

Pork Lovers' Heaven

Pork Lovers' Heaven brings three layers of pork together for extra comfort.   

Course Main Course

Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian

Keyword Pork Lovers' Heaven

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 10

Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The pork tenderloin

• 1 tbsp pork spice I use McCormick
• 1 tsp each of paprika and garlic powder
• 2 large pork tenderloins any boneless pork loin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp canola oil

The Stuffing

• 1 box prepared stuffing mix
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 lb ground lean ground pork
• salt and pepper
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 2 tbsp parsley chopped
• 20 toothpicks

The Sauce

• 1 cup canned peaches or apricots set aside a couple of slices
• 1/2 cup each of peach juice and orange juice
• 2 tbsp peach schnapps
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 small shallot

Instructions

The stuffing

1. Take the stuffing mixture out of the box and place in a medium size bowl.

   Add the lean ground pork, onion, water, egg, salt, pepper and parsley.  Mix it all together and put it aside.  

The pork loins

1. Take the pork loin and butterfly it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP6FFChioPs

   Watch this video, it is the easiest method.

   Salt and pepper the inside of the pork loin.

   Spoon half the mixture down the middle of the pork loin.

   Bring sides together and secure with toothpicks.  

   Rub the outside of the pork loins with some canola oil and the pork spices.

   Brush some canola oil on your grill.

   Place the pork loins on the grill for a few minutes and brown all sides.

   Put the pork loins in a heated 375 F oven.

   My grill goes directly into the oven, but you can put the pork loins on racks over a jelly pan.

   Turn pork loins after 20 minutes and return to the oven for another 20 minutes.

   Let rest covered for 15 minutes before slicing.  

The sauce

1. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat.

   Sautee the shallot in the butter.

   When melted add the flour to make a roux.

   Whisk in  the peach juice and orange juice.

   Add the peach schnapps.

   Puree the peaches, but hold back 1/2 a peach or a couple of slices.  Chop these and add at the end to give some texture to the sauce.

   Add the puree to the pot.  

   Let cook and reduce.

   Add the reserved peaches for texture.  

   Sprinkle in the nutmeg to the sauce.

The presentation

1. After the pork rests, cut nice thick slices and arrange on a platter.

   Serve the sauce as a side.  

   If plating, add a half a piece of apricot or some slices of peaches on top of the pork with the sauce.  This adds another level to the plate.