Italian Pork Roulade
Pork Roulade is a great way to do something different and flavorful with that pork tenderloin sitting in your freezer (I'm looking at you freezer hog). The best thing is you can use whatever you have in the fridge or pantry as a filling. We've done a Moroccan pork roulade stuffed with stewed chickpeas, roasted onions, pistachios and rehydrated craisins. We've also done an Indian version, Mexican, Greek and much more. Stuff it with whatever you like. Below is a recipe for an Italian Pork Roulade.
Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
1 head of garlic roasted
1 package frozen spinach, defrosted
1 jar roasted red peppers
1/2 cup pine nuts
Melty cheese of your choice
Parmesan cheese
Fresh herbs (either basil, rosemary, thyme or a combo)
1/8 of a lb of Prosciutto
1 Pork Tenderloin
Directions:
Defrost spinach in microwave, then remove from packaging, wrap in paper towel and squeeze over the sink to get out as much moisture as possible. Place spinach in a colander and set aside. Depending on the package of spinach and size of the loin, you may only need half.
Get a large saute pan on med high heat. Add pine nuts to the dry pan and shake every 30 sec to a min until they're toasted. Pour out nuts and set aside. Add oil to pan, and once hot add diced onion and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 - 10 min till onions just start to brown. Make a whole in the middle of the onion, add a little more oil and add garlic. Cook garlic 1 - 2 min, then stir into onion. Add spinach another round of salt and cook stirring often to remove any additional liquid. If anything starts to burn, deglaze with white wine. Once done, set aside to cool and add your chopped fresh herbs. Top with lemon zest.
Preheat oven to 350.
Now butterfly the pork. First, remove any sliver skin from the outside with a paring knife. Position a chefs knife parallel to the cutting board and about one-third of the way up the length of the pork loin (about a 1/2" from the bottom) . Begin cutting into the pork, pulling the meat away with your other hand so that it opens up into a flat, evenly thick piece. Place plastic wrap over the loin and pound it flat. Start in the middle of the pork at one end, and as you pound down pull the mallet towards you. Work the length of the pork, then spin the loin and do the other half.
Next cut 5 12" pieces of butches twine. Season both sides of the pork with salt and pepper. Then squeeze out your roasted garlic in a small bowl. Mash it with a spoon, then smear a layer of roasted garlic on the loin. Next add a layer of prosciutto. Then, add a layer of cheese covering the pork. Next add a layer of roasted red pepper leaving about a half inch from the top and bottom. Finally, spread a layer of the spinach mix over the pepper.
Top with Parmesan cheese and pine nuts. Next, roll up the loin as tight as you can. Set the loin seam side down and slip the butchers twine under the loin and tie it off with about 1 to 2 inches between each piece (I like to tie the 2 ends first to keep the filling from coming out).
Get a large pan on med high heat, and get out a roasting pan with a rack. Once pan is hot, add oil and sear the loin on all 4 sides, about 1 to 2 min a side. If you have a remote thermometer, insert probe in the middle of the loin. Place the loin on the rack in a roasting dish and place in bottom rack of oven. Roast until done. There is a wide range of temps you can stop at from 135 - 155. I did 145 and it was the highest I'd go. Looking back, I'd pull it at 140. If you don't have a remote thermometer, roast 35 min then check. It can take anywhere from 35 min to over a hour depending of the oven and the temp you're looking for. Remove from oven and tent with foil. Let rest 30 min, then slice an enjoy.
