Guest Recipe: Cherry, Almond and Wild Rice Stuffed Pork Loin
'Tis the season for sharing, caring, gifts, movie marathons, a whole lot of family time, realizing why you moved away from your family in the first place, alcohol, coffee, and many, many, many sweaters. And throughout it all, a whole lot of food being eaten and new holiday recipes given a whirl! So for the rest of this week, with the help of Venice-based food blogger Joy the Baker, we're posting a quartet of her delicious recipes to try out this holiday season.
Today: Cherry, Almond and Wild Rice Stuffed Pork Loin
Note: This recipe serves between about 6 to 8 people.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
6 ounces Italian sausage, removed from casing
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
?? cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
½ cup coarsely chopped roasted almonds
1 cup cooked wild rice
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ½ pound boneless pork loin, filleted
Kitchen twine for wrapping
Salt and pepper for topping
Directions
Start by making the stuffing. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add sausage and garlic and cook until browned and cooked through. Remove from heat and add parsley, thyme, rosemary, dried cherries, and almonds. Stir in wild rice and add salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread filleted pork loin out on a clean work surface. Top pork loin with prepared stuffing from edge to edge. Starting from the short side, roll the pork loin and stuffing into a spiral.
Tie the roll together with heavy-duty kitchen string in the center and at the two ends of the roast to prevent it from unrolling in the oven. Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer in to the center of the roast and cook for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and continue to cook for another 45 to 60 minutes. Remove roast from the oven once the meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Allow meat to rest in the pan, loosely covered with foil for 20 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the pan and cut twine away from the roast. Slice and serve.
Previously:
Roasted Almond Focaccia Bread with Grapes and Rosemary
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sliced Almonds and Pomegranates