Pork Tenderloin Roulade
Three little pigs came to Sunday dinner.
Or, maybe I should say there was pig, stuffed with pig, wrapped in pig. Pork tenderloin, stuffed with a delicious filling made with Highland Drive Storehouse's sausages and fresh herbs, and wrapped in Sweet Williams bacon. To accompany this celebration of pork, my garlicky rapini white bean sautee.
The wine selection, a bottle of Paul Zinck Pinot Gris from Alsace.
"Wines from the this German-influenced region tend to be ignored by North American consumers which is a shame since they are amongst the most food friendly wines produced anywhere in the world.
This Pinot Gris ( known as Pinot Grigio in Italy ) offers notes of smoke on the nose, a rounded mouthfeel, and hints of spiciness. Typical of the region, it also shows a lovely earthy mineral character and opulent dried fruit flavours balanced by refreshing acidity.
An ideal food wine due to it’s balanced richness and intensity, Pinot Gris is a welcome companion to pork dishes and can be delicious with sweet or sour flavour combinations as well as with foods using salt or spice in their preparation.
A most versatile wine that can also pair
with dishes normally intended for red wines." Chris Makin, resident sommelier.
Available at Cristall Wine Merchants.
I use one of two methods to stuff a pork tenderloin - the pocket or the swirl. The swirl allows more stuffing to be incorporated, but the pocket is easier. For this recipe, I went with the swirl.
To make a pocket, just lay the tenderloin flat on a cutting board, and trim off the narrow tail. Using a long skinny knife, holding the blade parallel to the board, insert the tip of the blade into the end of the tenderloin, and slide the blade down the center of the meat without cutting all the way through. Remove the blade, give it a quarter turn and repeat, cutting an 'x' down the center of the tenderloin. This is your pocket, use a piping bag to add your filling. Seal the filling using the narrow trimmed end of the loin as a 'cork' over the opening. Secure with a couple of toothpicks.
The swirl requires a little more dexterity, but not a whole lot. Again, start by trimming the narrow end off the meat. Then, make a shallow cut down the length of the tenderloin about 1/2 an inch from the edge. Roll the tenderloin, then, continue by making a series of shallow cuts down the entire length, rolling the tenderloin as you go. Cover with plastic wrap, and pound with a rollingpin until reasonably uniform in thickness. It will be an irregular shape, that's OK.
To make the sausage and herb stuffing, you will need:
1 link Italian sausage
1 small yellow onion finely chopped
3 green onions finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped italian parsley
2 generous sprigs fresh thyme, removed from stem
1 tablespoon crumbled dried sage
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable stock
Pinch crushed dried chilies
Remove the sausage meat from its casing and break into small bits, add to a hot frying pan and continue to break up the meat with a fork. Sautée for a couple of minutes then add your onion and cook until translucent. Finally, add garlic and green onions and cook for another minute or so. Remove pan from heat, add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. The mixture should be quite wet, let cool completely before proceeding. Spread the stuffing mixture over the flattened tenderloin, and roll up jelly roll style. Wrap the pork roll with strips of bacon and secure using kitchen twine.
gettin' ready for a hot date with the oven
Roasting the pork on a rack of thick sliced onions and garlic cloves adds an additional layer of flavour, and makes for delicious pan drippings.
A few sprigs of thyme or bay leaves can be tucked into the twine as well. Roast at 400F until internal temperature reads 160F. Let rest a few minutes before cutting.
