I couldn't find an exact image; imagine this with prunes inside
Reading Camille’s take on pared-down diets reminded me of an incredible simple-but-wildly-flavorful recipe I’ve been meaning to get up here. Pork is a huge wintertime staple for us Swedes, and since my parents moved to rural Pennsylvania–where they’re surrounded by the delicious spoils of Amish farms–we’ve not only rediscovered it, but made it a key part of Christmas dinner. For days after, it finds its way into sandwiches, snacks, you name it. It’s that good.
Healthy, too. A 3 oz serving of pork loin has just 147 calories and 3 grams of fat. It’s also a great source of vitamin B6 (good for energy, brain and skin health, and even mood), as well as selenium, protein, and thiamin. The spices, meat, and prunes pack such a punch that the dish works without sauces, butters, and oils. We typically boil up the remaining prunes (an unbeatable source of vitamin A, fiber, and potassium) to serve on the side, along with sugarless applesauce, which adds some acid.
Pork Loin Stuffed with Prunes (very liberally adapted from The New Swedish Food; “new,” at this point, meaning circa 1970)
Ingredients
*One loin of pork (the recipe calls for 4 lbs, but we use substantially less. I’d say however much you think you’ll eat)
*Pitted prunes (again, here, the recipe calls for a set 15. My take is to use as many as you feel like. Personally, I love both the taste and the way they make the dish look, so I tend to stuff to absolute capacity)
*4 tsp salt
*1 tsp black pepper
*1/2 tsp ginger
Procedure
1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a long sharp object (I grab the meat thermometer), make a hole in the crosswise center of the meat–if you think of the loin as a log, you’d be cutting into the base. Now, using your thumbs and forefingers, start stuffing in the prunes. If you’re a prune fan, like I am, absolutely make multiple holes, not just one in the center. Somehow, no matter how messy it looks as you’re doing it, the final product manages to look awfully professional.
2) Blend the spices together in a cup or bowl. Then, really rub them into the pork. Make sure you’ve covered the meat generously. Once the whole cut is covered in the mix, tie a string around the final product in criss-cross pattern. The main idea here is to make sure the meat keeps its long, round shape through cooking, so all kinds of other ways work, too (my dad–a surgeon–doesn’t like to “lace” but will use several small pieces of string to close each section up individually).
3) Place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the cut and roast uncovered in a roasting pan until the thermometer shows 185 degrees. The recipe says this takes between 1.5 to 2 hours, but we’ve erred closer to 2 to 2.5. When it’s done, place meat on a platter, untie the string, and you’re set!
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