Pork Loin Stuffed With Figs And Apricots Recipes

PORK LOIN STUFFED WITH FIGS AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine figs and apricots in a medium bowl; pour boiling water over them. Set aside for 5 minutes. Drain in a fine-mesh sieve; return to bowl. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon sage, and breadcrumbs; season generously with salt and pepper. Stir until breadcrumbs are moistened.
• With a long, sharp knife, cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of the loin, without cutting through; open it like a book. Place filling in the middle, packing lightly. Draw the edges of the loin together so that they slightly overlap, forming a cylinder around stuffing. (If it is hard to close, remove some of stuffing.) Tie pork with cotton kitchen twine every 1/2 inch.
• Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan with foil. Sprinkle pork with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Rub with oil; place in pan. Roast until meat registers 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 minutes; let rest (temperature will keep rising), 10 minutes. Snip string; discard. Slice meat; use a wide spatula to serve.

PORK LOIN STUFFED WITH DRIED FIGS AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• 1. For Stuffing, in a small saucepan, add dried fruit, 1 tsp garlic, brown sugar, herbs and wine. Bring to simmer, cover and cook until fruit is plump and tender and the wine has evaporated. If fruit is still tough, add a little more water and simmer until tender. Set aside to cool.
• 2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Stand the roast on its end and insert a long slender knife down the center of the loin to make a 1 1/2 inch pocket and pack the fruit into the pocket working from both ends of the loin.
• 3. In a small bowl mix the mustard with 1 tsp minced garlic, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Spread mixture over pork. Place on loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and continue roasting for 50 to 60 minutes until a meat thermometer registers 155 degrees. Let rest 15 minutes and slice.