Sometimes, when I’m feeling a little extra fancy, I like to stuff foods for dinner. It’s surprisingly easy and delightfully delicious. It also looks a bit more impressive on a plate if you’re entertaining or wanting to impress someone. Prosciutto was on sale recently (along with pork loin) so I gave this recipe a whirl. Man, oh man, did we love this one. I’m talking excited-about-leftovers loved this one. Make sure you remember the sauce!!
Recipe unadapted from Food & Wine.
Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Serves: 12
Ingredients
- Two 10 oz packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 oz)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbspn extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Two 3-pound boneless pork loins, butterflied (you can always ask your butcher to butterfly these for you)
- 1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tsp all-purpose flour mixed with 1 tbpsn of water
- Kitchen twine (see adaptations)
Directions
Squeeze any excess water from the chopped spinach. In a medium bowl, mix the spinach with the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic and 2 tablespoons of the extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Set the pork loins on a work surface, opening them like a book, with the cut side up. Season the inside of the pork loins generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pork loins with a single layer of overlapping prosciutto slices; spoon the spinach filling into the center of the pork loins. Shape the filling into a thin log that runs along the center of each loin. Roll up the pork loins and tie them with kitchen twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals. Season the pork loins generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a very large ovenproof skillet until shimmering. Add the pork loins and cook over moderately high heat until they are browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork loins to a large platter. (You can also brown the loins one at a time if you have a smaller pan like I do).
Pour off any fat from the skillet and return it to high heat. Add half of the chicken stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the pork loins to the skillet and roast them in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 145°. Transfer the pork loins to a large cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let stand for 15 minutes.
Pour the juices from the skillet into a small saucepan and skim off the fat. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of chicken stock to the skillet and set it over high heat. Add the wine, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet and boil until reduced to a few tablespoons. Add the pan juices to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in the flour slurry (the flour + water mixture) and simmer until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
Untie the pork loins (or cut off your ties) and carve the meat into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the slices on plates, drizzle with the pan sauce and serve.
Adaptations
- You can also do this with a much smaller loin. Just adjust the roasting time accordingly and make sure you hit that 145F internal temp.
- Don’t have cooking twine? Me neither. Turns out you can use any kind of cotton string as long as it’s 100% cotton. You just don’t want to roast any synthetic materials.
- The recipe can be prepared through the second paragraph and refrigerated overnight. Return to room temperature before cooking.