Fig-Stuffed Roast Pork Loin served with Rapini and Garlic

This meal requires a little bit of planning, but it was a great fall weekend dinner. It’s adapted from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home. It’s hard to get my husband to eat pork unless it’s stuffed with something because he always things it’s too dry, so this recipe may become a part of my pork repetoire.

Fig-stuffed Roast Pork Loin

Pork Brine, cold (recipe to follow)

One 2½-pound pork loin roast

1 large fennel bulb

Canola oil

½ cup ½-inch cubes ciabatta or other artisan bread

1 tsp minced garlic (I used minced garlic out of the jar because that is what I had on hand)

1 T finely chopped shallot

1 cup Fig and Balsamic Jam (recipe to follow)

¼ cup chicken stock (I used ready-made chicken broth)

½ tsp finely chopped thyme

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the pork loin and add the pork. Refrigerate for 10 hours (no longer or the pork may become too salty).

Remove the pork loin from the brine and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Using a long thin knife, make a horizontal lengthwise cut all the way through the center of the loin. Let the meat rest at room temperature while you prepare the stuffing.

Cut the stalks from the fennel and trim the root end. Remove the thicker outer layers. Separate the bulb into individual layers and cut into batons about 1 ¼ inches long and ½ inch wide. You need ½ cup fennel.

Set a cooling rack over a small baking sheet and line it with paper towels.

Heat some canola oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and cook, tossing to brown on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bread cubes to the lined rack.

Pour off any excess oil, leaving just a light film in the pan, return the pan to the heat, and add the fennel. Cook until tender with just a little bite left, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the jam and warm through, then add the bread cubes, chicken stock, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. put a roasting rack in a small roasting pan and put it in the oven.

Meanwhile, use your fingers to widen the cavity in the meat enough to hold the stuffing. The book suggests using a piping bag to fill the pork loin, but I just used my hands to stuff it. It ended up being a two person job, but it worked out in the end. Although a little messier than Thomas Keller’s pictures! Tie the roast with kitchen twine.

Season the loin on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the loin to the pan and brown on all sides.

Transfer the pork to the roast pan and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 135 to 140 degrees F (if you prefer your pork less pink). Remove from the oven and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes for medium-rare to medium. Despite what your mother might say, pork does not need to be white all the way through!

Remove the string and cut the loin into ¼-inch thick slices. Arrange on a platter and sprinkle with sea salt.

Per Thomas Keller’s suggestion, I served this dish with a side of rapini or broccoli rabe. However, I did not use his recipe because I needed something quick at this point. Although not my favorite, Rachael Ray always has pretty easy recipes. I used her recipe on the Food Network’s website, which can be found here. It turned out that cooking it in chicken broth really cut the bitterness in the greens. It was the first time I had prepared rapini, and I thought that it complemented the sweetness of the pork quite well.