Best Pork Roast Stuffed With Apricots And Prunes Recipes

PORK LOIN STUFFED WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Soak prunes in wine, if you wish, for as long as possible. Drain prunes, reserving wine. With a long sharp knife, make a slit in the center of the loin and stuff it with prunes (reserve prunes that won't fit into pork).
• In a large casserole heat butter. When foaming subsides add the onion or leek, celery and carrot. Cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Remove them with a slotted spoon and reserve for later. Add vegetable oil to the casserole and heat. When hot, add the loin and brown on all sides, including the ends. When pork is browned, remove it to a plate. Discard all fat from the casserole, but leave behind any drippings. Return cooked vegetables to the bottom of the casserole. Add the meat on top and add any prunes which didn't fit into the loin.
• Cover loin with reserved white wine you soaked the prunes in, broth, bay leaf and garlic. Put a lid on casserole and set in oven. Cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours or until pork juices run a clear yellow (difference in time depends on how thick the loin is; internal temp is 165 degrees). Remove casserole from oven and remove the pork and let rest while you make the sauce. Strain the juices into a "degreasing" cup or heat-resistant cup. Discard aromatic vegetables and prunes. The fat will rise above the juices; discard it. Return juices to casserole and boil down until thickened. Finish with a tablespoon of butter or not as you wish. Slice pork into thin slices, serve with saffron rice, sugar snap peas and spoon sauce over the top.

FRUIT-STUFFED LOIN OF PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Using the long handle of a wooden spoon, push the dried fruit into the pocket in the roast, alternating the fruits.
• Cut the garlic into thin slivers. Make deep slits in the roast with tip of a knife and push the garlic into the slits.
• Tie the roast with twine and rub surface with salt and pepper.
• Set the roast in a shallow baking pan and smear the butter over the roast. Sprinkle with thyme.
• Stir Madeira and molasses together in a small bowl and pour over roast. Set the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake approximately 1 1/2 hours, basting often (approximately 20 minutes per pound).
• When done, let stand, loosely covered with foil about 15 minutes. Cut thin slices and spoon pan juices over them.

PORK ROAST WITH WINTER FRUITS AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make stuffing:
• Simmer apricots, prunes, and Port in a small heavy saucepan, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
• Cook onion and shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add apple and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in apricot mixture and cool.
• Stuff and roast pork:
• Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.
• Make a pocket in center of roast by making a horizontal 1 1/2-inch-wide cut into 1 end of roast with a long thin knife, repeating from opposite end so pocket runs all the way through. Then make a vertical cut through center (forming a cross) to widen pocket. Push about 1 cup stuffing into pocket using a long-handled wooden spoon (you may need to stuff from both sides if roast is long). Reserve remaining stuffing for sauce.
• Season roast with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and put in a large flameproof roasting pan. Wrap with bacon, between rib bones, tucking ends under roast. Roast pork 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 325°F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of roast (do not touch bone or stuffing) registers 155°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours total.
• Transfer roast to a cutting board, reserving pan, and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature of meat will rise to about 160°F; meat will be slightly pink.)
• Make sauce:
• Skim fat from pan drippings and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Straddle pan across 2 burners and add Port to drippings, then deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
• Cook shallot in reserved fat in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices, 1 1/4 cups water, and reserved fruit stuffing and bring to a simmer. Whisk together arrowroot and remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth, then whisk into sauce with any juices from cutting board.
• Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Carve roast into chops by cutting between ribs, then serve with sauce.

PRUNE STUFFED PORK ROAST WITH BROWNED POTATOES, SWEDISH STYLE

Steps:

• Wash and pare potatoes. Cut into slices, 1/8 inch thick, down through the top of each potato, being careful not to cut through to the bottom, leaving the bottom intact. Place in ice water to chill for about 1 hour, while you get everything else ready.
• Wipe the pork with damp paper towels; trim off excess fat.
• Preheat oven to 350*F. With a long narrow, sharp knife, starting at each end pierce through to center of roast. Using fingers, push fruit into the holes to completely fill. Rub roast on all sides with half a lemon. sprinkle with salt, pepper and ginger.
• Place fat side up, in shallow roasting pan without rack. Pork will rest on bones. Pour beef broth around. Cover the pan with foil or a tight fitting lid and roast, covered, for 30 minutes.
• Remove from oven. Drain and dry potatoes.
• Melt butter with paprika. Roll dry potatoes in this twice, then place in roasting pan around the roast. Pour remaining paprka butter over potatoes. Roast, uncovered, basting every half hour with pan drippings. (add water if needed).
• Roast 1 hour 20 minutes, or until thermometer registers 175*F. Remove roast and potatoes to heated platter; keep warm in a low oven.
• Make a gravy by pouring pan drippings into a two cup measure. Skim off fat, reserving 2 TBS. Put the 2 TBS fat into roasting pan. Stir in the flour and ginger until smooth. Cook stirring over low heat to brown the flour slightly. Add water to the pan drippings to make 1 1/4 cup and gradually stir into the flour mixture along with the milk; bring to boiling, stirring until thickened.
• Serve with the roasted pork and potatoes for a really special meal.

PORK STEW WITH APRICOTS AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large Dutch oven or casserole over medium-high heat. Add pork in batches and cook until brown, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to bowl using slotted spoon.
• Add onions and garlic to same pan and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add flour and stir 3 minutes. Mix in broth, cider, beer, mustard, coriander, cinnamon and salt and bring mixture to boil. Return pork and any juices in bowl to Dutch oven. Stir in apricots and prunes. Cover and bake 1 hour. Remove lid from Dutch oven and continue baking until pork is tender and liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, about 45 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper.