Give the traditional roast pork a summer twist with maple-glazed peaches and a rocket, pine nut and feta stuffing. Perfect for a Sunday family feast.
Roast pork is a succulent classic, with a blanket of crisp crackling encasing moist, tender meat.
Ingredients
- 1.75kg boneless pork loin, trimmed
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 peaches
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
- 2 cups (500ml) Massel chicken style liquid stock
Rocket, pine nut and feta stuffing
- 250g rocket (about 2 bunches)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
- Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
- 75g pine nuts
- 100g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 100g feta, diced
Method
- Step 1Preheat oven to 220°C. Place pork flat, skin-side up, on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, score skin widthways at 1cm intervals, cutting deeply almost into fat layer. Turn pork over. Holding knife horizontally, make a 5cm-deep cut under eye of meat, just above fat, to create a cavity for stuffing.
- Step 2For stuffing, cut thick stalks from rocket and chop finely. Coarsely chop leaves and reserve separately. Heat oil in a frying pan over low-medium heat, add rocket stalks, onion, garlic, thyme and lemon rind and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add pine nuts and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in rocket leaves and cook for 1 minute or until just wilted. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs then season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave to cool, then stir in egg and feta.
- Step 3Season pork to taste. Pack stuffing into prepared cavity. Roll pork up to enclose stuffing and tie meat at 2cm intervals with cooking string to secure. Place in a large, heavy-based roasting pan. Combine fennel seeds, allspice and oil in a small bowl. Season to taste then rub over pork. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 190°C and roast for a further 30 minutes.
- Step 4Cut peaches in half and remove stones. Place peaches in pan around pork then drizzle with maple syrup. Return to oven and roast for a further 15 minutes or until pork is cooked through. Remove pork from pan. Wrap loosely in foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Depending on the ripeness of the peaches, it may be necessary to return them to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes or until tender. Remove peaches from pan and cover to keep warm.
- Step 5Place roasting pan on to stovetop over medium heat. Add wine and stir to remove cooked pieces from base of pan then boil until reduced by 1/2. Add stock and boil until reduced by 1/2. Strain the gravy through a fine sieve into a jug. Serve pork in slices with peaches and gravy.
- Low carb
- Lower gi
Nutrition
2760 kj
Energy
36g
Fat Total
11g
Saturated Fat
6g
Fibre
54g
Protein
160mg
Cholesterol
642.79mg
Sodium
18g
Carbs (sugar)
27g
Carbs (total)
Notes
Other ideas: For a different stuffing, substitute spinach for rocket and walnuts for pine nuts. Omit the feta and add some chopped sage. Instead of peaches, roast baby pears or apples with the pork until tender.
Tips and tricks – You can ask your butcher to both score the skin and prepare the cavity ready for stuffing if preferred. Don’t overcook the pork or it will dry out. Use a meat thermometer – pork is ready when temperature hits 74C. Rest meat for 15-20 minutes before carving – this allows it to relax and become more tender.
- Author: Louise Pickford
- Image credit: Andrew Lehmann
- Publication: Notebook: