POT ROAST PORK FOR I HEART COOKING CLUBS

I decided I was not going to miss posting with our new "mentor," Jamie Oliver, even if it means posting on a day I normally don't post. I confess that I do not own any cookbooks by Jamie nor have I ever watched one of his cooking shows in its entirety. I tuned in once or twice and we just didn't "click." More recently, I've seen and heard of his work to help reduce childhood obesity. Since I have great respect for my fellow bloggers in this club, I decided it was time to give Jamie another go. I went online and found a recipe for a pork pot roast and, after a few conversions from metric and a search to determine what a "knob" of butter is, I was ready to go. The recipe that follows has just a few small changes to reduce the fat and to contend with the lack of fresh figs in the market. It was indeed a "Happy Day" thanks to Jamie's fabulous recipe. I can't explain what happened to the photo of the sliced pork with the amazing onion and prune sauce, but you'll have to trust me that it was awesome.


Serves 6 - 8
olive oil
2 medium red onions, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
3- 3 1/2 lb loin of pork, boned, skinned, rolled, and tied
salt and freshly ground pepper
small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
3 T butter
9 prunes, pits removed (I used the ones in a jar)
6 oz Marsala wine
1 1/4 cups chicken stock

This method of cooking pork stops it drying out and keeps it juicy and soft. You also end up with a wonderful rich sticky sauce!

Preheat your oven to400ºF. Heat an appropriately sized casserole-type pan (I used my wonderful Dutch oven), add about a tbs of olive oil and sweat the onions and garlic gently until soft. Roll the pork in the seasoning and thyme leaves. Push the onions to one side of the pan, add a tbs of butter and brown the pork lightly all over.  

Stir the quartered figs into the onions, pour one glass of Marsala over the meat and drop in the rest of the butter. Tear a piece of greaseproof paper big enough to cover the pork comfortably, scrunch it up with your hands and run it under the cold tap. Unravel it and tuck it in the pot over the pork, figs and onions. This will help the pork steam as well as roast and keep it really moist and juicy.

Place in the hot oven. After 20 minutes, lift off the paper, turn the pork in the juices and add the other glass of Marsala. Replace the paper and cook for 25-30 minutes more (Jamie's recommendation of 30-40 minutes would have produced a dry roast in my oven). Check the pork is cooked, remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

While the meat is resting, finish the sauce by skimming any fat off the top, adding the chicken stock and simmering for 10 minutes. Check the seasoning and add the crème fraîche if using. Slice the pork as thinly as you want and serve with the delicious sauce.

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TASTE NOTES
Dear Jamie,
If this recipe is any indication, you and I will be spending some quality time together. Although I used my Dutch oven and could have simply covered the pork roast, I chose to follow your procedure and wet and crumple a piece of parchment paper to cover the roast during cooking. The roast was succulent and the sauce, which I reduced, was so flavorful. I especially loved the combination of red onions and prunes. There were far too many leftovers for the two of us, so I sliced half the roast thinly and froze that for sandwiches some night when I don't feel like cooking. The rest is standing by for an encore. This was a wonderful meal with some roasted brussels sprouts and some potato pancakes I had waiting in the freezer. I can promise we'll have another date very soon.
A Jamie convert, for sure,


Arlene


Be sure to head over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what other Jamie Oliver dishes are making the rounds this week.