Thursday, December 9, 2010

Couscous & feta stuffed roast pork with pears

Ingredients (serves 10)

  • 2.4kg boned rolled loin of pork, string removed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tbs sea salt flakes
  • 5 small pears, halved lengthways, cored
  • 625ml (2 1/2 cups) red wine
  • 625ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock
  • Couscous & feta stuffing

  • 70g (1/3 cup) couscous
  • 125ml (1/2 cup) boiling water
  • 80g feta, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
  • 2 tsp finely grated lemon rind

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 230°C. To make the couscous & feta stuffing, place the couscous in a heatproof bowl. Pour over the boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until the liquid has absorbed. Use a fork to separate the grains. Add the feta, basil and lemon rind. Season with pepper. Stir until well combined.
  2. Place the pork, rind-side up, on a clean work surface. Use a sharp knife to score the rind crossways, into the fat layer, at 2cm intervals. Turn the pork over. Cut a horizontal slit in the thick end of the pork (don't cut all the way through).
  3. Open the pork to sit flat. Place the stuffing mixture along the centre. Starting from the thick end, roll up firmly to enclose the filling. Use unwaxed white kitchen string to tie the pork crossways at 2cm intervals. (See tips.)
  4. Place the pork, rind-side up, in a large roasting pan. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of oil, then rub the salt into the cuts. Roast for 35 minutes or until the rind crackles. Reduce oven temperature to 200°C. Roast for a further 20 minutes. Arrange the pear around the pork. Drizzle the remaining oil over the pear. Roast for a further 1 hour or until the pork is cooked through and the pear is golden and tender. Transfer the pork and pear to a serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest.
  5. Meanwhile, use a spoon to remove the top layer of oil from the pan, reserving any juices in the pan. Discard the oil. Add the red wine and stock to the juices in the pan and stir to combine. Place the pan over high heat and bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 30-35 minutes or until the jus thickens.
  6. Transfer the jus to a serving jug. Serve with the the pork and pear.

PICTURE:


6 comments:

  1. Cous Cous: The food so nice, they named it twice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. cous cous..tried it once, not my thing.

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  3. I have been meaning to try cous-cous for years - this is just the recipe I need to finally take the plunge!

    ReplyDelete