Roast Loin of Pork with Cauliflower and Apple Pure
Photography by Aaron McLean.
Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
1.5 kilogram free-range boneless pork loin, skin and belly left on. Ask your butcher to score the skin at 1 cm intervals.
Stuffing
1 coarse textured pork and fennel sausage, about 150 grams
6 prunes, halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
fine zest of 1 lemon
Gravy
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 cup apple juice
1 cup chicken stock
Cauliflower and apple purée
1⁄2 small cauliflower
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
3 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1⁄2 cup chicken stock or water
3 tablespoons cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
METHOD
Cauliflower: Cut the cauliflower into 1 cm thick slices. Melt the butter in a sauté pan and add the cauliflower, apple, shallot and garlic. Season, cover and cook over a gentle heat for a few minutes. Add the stock, cover and simmer until tender. Transfer to a food processor and with the motor running, drizzle in the cream to make a smooth purée. Season well. Re-warm before serving.
Stuffing: Take the skin off the sausage and place the meat in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, season and combine well with a fork.
Pork: Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Lay the pork out flat, skin side down. Season the flesh. Form the stuffing into a cylinder. Place at the end of the belly where the large nut of meat starts and roll up from the thickest end. Tie with kitchen string at 2 cm intervals to keep the meat in shape while cooking. Rub the skin with a little olive oil and season generously with sea salt.
Place the pork, seam side down, on a rack set over a roasting dish and pour in 2 cups of water. Roast for 30 minutes then reduce the temperature to 170°C and cook for a further 1 1⁄2-2 hours or until the juices run clear when pierced with a skewer. Add more water to the pan if drying out.
If the skin has not ‘crackled’ enough, place under a hot grill until blistered and crunchy. Allow the pork to rest, lightly covered, for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Gravy: Pour most of the fat from the roasting tin. Place on the hob and stir in the flour to make a smooth roux. Cook for 1 minute then whisk in the combined apple juice and stock. Season and simmer until reduced by half. Strain into a jug for serving.
To serve: Carve the pork between the scored crackling, into 1cm thick slices. Serve with the hot cauliflower purée and apple gravy. Chunks of roasted pumpkin would be a great accompaniment.
latest issue:
Issue #122
Our latest of dish is an absolute bumper issue, packed with over 70 recipes! We start by chatting with the MasterChef Australia judges and Kiwi contestant Ben Mcdonald before cooking up the very best of what’s in season. Then we make freezer meals easy and delicious with double-batch cooking. Next up we share some of our faves including Pretzel-crumbed Chicken Schnitty and French Onion Soup Mac and Cheese. Then we whip up warming curries, tempting dinners for two, epic sides like our Parmesan-crusted Roasted Potatoes, and crowd pleasers like our cover-star Miso French Onion Chicken. We finish up with irresistible sweet treats and a run-down of top Aussie shiraz!