I bought a pork loin recently just so I could slice off some thin pieces and make pork "cutlets," where the standard procedure is to pound them, season with salt and pepper then dredge in flour, beaten egg and seasoned bread crumbs.
After a shallow fry in some oil, the result was delicious, especially with a little lemon squeezed on top. But I only sliced off enough for one meal and put the remainder of the roast in the freezer for another day. I wanted to "butterfly" the rest of the roast and didn't want to be eating the same leftovers for days.
This is what the roast looked like after I had sliced off the six pieces for the cutlets. At this point, it weighed about 1 3/4 pounds -- enough for four people. If you don't slice off the pieces for the cutlets, it can serve six people as a main course.
In order to butterfly it, I took a sharp knife and inserted it into a shallow depth (maybe 1/2 inch or so), then kept moving the meat so I could maintain an even thickness throughout.
Here's what it looked like after slicing and pounding the meat between two pieces of waxed paper. The procedure will help flatten it and tenderize it a bit too.
Season the meat with salt and pepper then place your prepared filling inside. I used mushrooms, peppers, onions and some Italian chestnuts, but you can omit the chestnuts if you can't find them, or add whatever else you think might be a good addition, like apples or some sauteed pancetta.
Roll it up, leaving the fatty part resting on top, then secure it with some kitchen twine.
Brown it briefly on all sides in some olive oil, then place it on a shallow, oven-proof pan. This is what it looked like after a quick browning as it went into the oven. Roast it at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour.
I used a meat thermometer and let it reach about 135 degrees before removing from the oven. It rested for 10 minutes and the temperature climbed to nearly 150 degrees. Next time, I'd remove it at 130 degrees so it reaches only 140 or 145 degrees, which leads to a more tender roast.
However, it sliced easily after the resting and was really delicious, especially after swiping in the olive oil and juices that remained in the pan.
I served the roast with some fennel gratinee and boiled potatoes.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more) Stuffed Pork Loin1 pork loin (not tenderloin) about 2-2 1/2 lbs.
6 or 7 large mushrooms, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 minced garlic
a few slices of red pepper, diced
6 roasted chestnuts, chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
minced rosemary and minced parsley
salt, pepper
Saute the mushrooms, peppers and onions in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened and most of the liquid has evaported. Add the garlic and chestnuts and saute until softened. Season with salt, pepper, minced rosemary and minced parsley. Place in the refrigerator to cool a bit.
Meanwhile, "butterfly" the pork roast, by inserting a knife lengthwise into the roast, and after a cut of about 1/4 inch, rotate the roast so that the knife continues to a depth of about 1/4 inch all around, until you have a flattened piece of meat.
Place the meat between two pieces of waxed paper and pound with a meat pounder. Then season with sale and pepper, and spread the filling on top.
Roll the roast tightly, ending with the piece that has a strip of fat on it. Secure it with kitchen twine.
Place in a shallow roasting pan, drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 1/2 hour at 375 degrees. Remove from the oven when a thermometer measures from 130 to 135 degrees. Let it rest for 10 minutes and it will continue to cook internally.
Slice and serve right on the roasting pan, so you can sop up the juices and olive oil left behind.
