Two-Timer Stuffed Pork Loin

 

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.

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Stuffed Pork Loin

1 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.

Pork Loin Stuffed with Capocollo and Provolone Cheese

Now that we’re moving away from summer temperatures and outdoor barbecues, it’s time to fire up the oven for a nice Sunday roast. This stuffed pork loin really ticks all the boxes — it’s easy to prepare, tastes great and serves at least six to eight people — even though it weighs only two and a half to three pounds. Start out with a pork loin — not a tenderloin, which is smaller and even more tender — but a pork loin. It will become just as tender as a tenderloin with the low and slow oven temperature included in the instructions below. First, you’re going to need to open it to stuff it, so take a sharp knife and cut into it lengthwise, stopping before you reach the bottom.

Keep opening the roast, kind of like a roll, slicing lengthwise the whole way around until you have a pretty even thickness throughout.

I tenderized the meat with a meat pounder, flattening it a bit more, then sprinkled throughout with homemade seasoned salt and black pepper.

Layer on thin slices of capocollo. In this case, I used a spicy version of capocollo to impart a little more flavor to the meat as the fat melts inside.

Layer slices of provolone cheese over the capocollo, and roll up the pork loin.

Then tie it securely with butcher’s twine, sprinkle with more seasoned salt, black pepper and paprika and insert some rosemary and sage into the twine.

Roast it in a slow oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer reads 125 to 130 degrees F. The slow cooking will ensure you have tender slices of meat when you slice into it. Add some potatoes and onions smeared with olive oil and seasonings alongside the roast, but after you remove the roast, and while it’s resting on a cutting board, kick up the temperature to 450 degrees to let the vegetables get nicely browned.

If you want the outside fat on the roast to be crispier, just add a little olive oil to a skillet, turn the heat to high and sear the cooked roast on top. I didn’t do this extra step, but my roast didn’t have much fat on top either.

Make sure to let the roast rest at least fifteen minutes before slicing into it, so the juices don’t all come gushing out. It will also help to keep the filling intact too, once you slice into it.

As I said, the roast serves a lot of people, and we had enough leftovers for a great lunch the next day. Take a crusty roll and add a slice or two of the roast, some roasted red peppers, cooked broccoli rabe, and some melted provolone cheese. It’s worth making this recipe just to have these delicious sandwiches the next day.

Nerd Notes: If you’re confused about the names — is it capocollo, capicola or coppa? click here for a terrific explanation about these cured meat from DiBruno Brothers, one of my favorite shops in Philadelphia’s old Italian Market.

Click here to connect with me on Instagram and find out what’s cooking in Ciao Chow Linda’s kitchen each day (and more).

Pork Loin Stuffed with Capocollo and Provolone Cheese

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Ingredients

• 1 two and a half to three pound pork loin (NOT tenderloin)
• 1/4 pound spicy capocollo
• 1/4 pound provolone cheese
• seasoned salt
• black pepper
• paprika
• rosemary sprigs
• sage sprigs
• olive oil to coat pan.

Instructions

1. Dry the pork loin with paper towels.
2. Take a sharp knife and slice it lengthwise, avoiding going all the way through.
3. Keep rolling the pork over, continuing to slice open the entire length, as if you’re opening a book.
4. Pound the roast with a meat pounder to tenderize, then sprinkle with seasoned salt and black pepper.
5. Lay tthe slices of capocollo over the roast, then layer over the cheese.
6. Roll it up tightly, making sure to end up with the fat layer of the roast on top.
7. Secure it with butcher’s twine.
8. Season the outside with the seasoned salt, black pepper, and paprika, then insert rosemary and sage leaves into the twine.
9. Roast for 1 1/2 to two hours at 275 degrees F. or until a meat thermometer registers 125 to 130 degrees.
10. Remove from the oven and let it rest at least 15 minutes or as long as 1/2 hour.
11. Remove the twine, slice and serve.

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