Yield: Serves 8
Chef: Chef Brian Streeter
To make the stuffing: Place the prunes, red wine, cloves, star anise and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil and turn off. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the diced bacon and the olive oil, and cook until lightly browned and barely crisp up. Add the leeks, celery, and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about another minute. Add the prune and wine mixture, thyme and rosemary, and cook until the liquid has been reduced to almost dry. Stir in butter and allow to emulsify into stuffing. Fold in pecans, taste and adjust seasoning. Allow stuffing to cool completely before stuffing pork loin.
To stuff the pork loin, use a long, thin slicing knife to cut a -inch slit in the center of the loin working from either side towards the middle. Push a French rolling pin or the handle of a thick wooden spoon through the hole to make sure the pocket is connected and uniform in size. Push prune filling into the pocket using your finger and the rolling pin to ensure it is evenly stuffed from end to end. Cut the remaining slice of bacon in half and press against the exposed filling on each end of the roast. Use butcher’s twine to tie the roast lengthwise twice to secure the bacon and keep the filling from oozing out. Truss roast with butcher's twine every inch.
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Roast pork loin for 10-15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350˚F, and cook for 30-40 minutes until the internal temperature of the meat (not the filling) reaches 130˚F. Allow you to rest for 20 minutes. Remove butcher’s twine and slice into ¾-inch slices.
Enjoy with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Merlot.
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