Jamie Magazine
By Jamie Oliver
Pear-roasted pork loin joint
With sage & pine nut stuffing
3 hrs
Showing Off
serves 8
About the recipe
Ask your butcher to bone the pork loin for you, but remember to ask him to give you the bones – this will give your gravy lots of super-delicious flavour.
Recipe From
Ingredients
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
a few sprigs of fresh sage
1 red onion
6 higher-welfare pork bones, reserved from the loin
1 x 2.2kg higher-welfare boneless pork loin joint, skin scored about 1cm deep and at 1cm intervals (get your butcher to do this, or do it very carefully yourself with a sharp knife)
SAGE & PINE NUT STUFFING
3 slices of sourdough bread
100g pine nuts
a few sprigs of fresh sage
1 pear
olive oil
VEG, PEARS & GRAVY
3 pears
2 bulbs of fennel
2 small red onions
1 bulb of garlic
a few sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 fresh bay leaves
1 wine glass of perry (130ml)
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 litre of fresh organic chicken stock
Method
- Preheat the oven to its highest setting.
- Prepare the stuffing by toasting the bread, then removing the crusts. Scrunch the toast into a bowl, then bash the pine nuts in a pestle and mortar and add to the bowl. Pick, finely chop and add the sage, then coarsely grate and add the pear along with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and squeeze it all together with your hands. Set aside until needed.
- Bash the fennel seeds with the sage and a pinch of salt and pepper until you have a fine rub. Muddle in 1 tablespoon of oil and work the mixture all over the pork, making sure you get it into all the incisions. Peel and quarter the onion. Put the bones and onion in a roasting tray that will snugly fit the pork loin.
- Lay the pork on a board, skin-side down. Use a knife to make an incision between the loin and belly meat, along the length of the pork joint, to create a flap. Pack this space with stuffing and season well. Roll the belly around the loin and tie the joint tightly with 5 or 6 pieces of string to keep it all in place. Place the prepared pork on top of the bones.
- Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes (this will help give you super-crisp cracking), then reduce the temperature to 190ºC/375º/gas 5 and cook for a further hour, or until the meat is cooked through and the crackling is crispy.
- Prepare the fruit and veg by cutting the pears and fennel into 6 pieces, peeling and quartering the onions, and peeling the garlic bulb, then smashing up the cloves.
- Add the pears, onion and garlic to a separate roasting tray along with the rosemary, fennel, bay and any remaining sage. Drizzle it all with oil and pop in the oven on a shelf underneath the pork and roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the vegetables are soft and caramelised.
- Once the pork is cooked, move it to a platter, cover with tin foil and a clean tea towel and leave to rest while you make the gravy.
- Using tongs, remove the bones from the roasting tray. Place the tray on the hob over a medium heat and add the perry. Simmer until reduced slightly, then add the flour and stir it into the juices for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the stock, then continue to simmer until thickened, stirring regularly. Once you're happy with the consistency, carefully pass it through a sieve into a jug.
- Serve the roasted pear and vegetables with the pork and gravy, ensuring everyone has their fair share of the crackling. Delicious served with steamed greens.
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