Recipes

Roast Loin of Pork with Apple Pecan Dressing for 8

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (the recipe called for walnuts, but we used pecans)
  
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 5 cups dry bread crumbs (tried "crumbs" first time out = yuck, use cubes, or dry stuffing mix, unseasoned)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 (3 pound) boneless rolled pork loin roast (we got ours at Costco, pre marinated)
  

O.k. here's the drill:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Put the butter in a saute pan and toss in the veggies and pecans, cook until somewhat tender. I didn't cook them all the way because I figured they would continue to cook while in the oven. If you want a crunch in the stuffing, do what I did, if you want it all soft, cook the veggies all the way.

Add the apple sauce and spices, blend and set aside for a minute while you prep the meat.

Our roast came marinated. If yours doesn't I suggest seasoning it with fresh cracked pepper and garlic. Place the roast in a hot skillet and brown/sear on all sides.

Place the roast in the middle of a roasting pan, toss the stuffing around the sides and pop into the oven for about an hour, or until the center of the roast measures 180 degrees. Pull out of the oven and allow the roast to sit for fifteen minutes prior to cutting.

While the roast is cooking grab a fresh pineapple and skin it. Turn it on its' side and thinly slice it -about 1/4" slices"- right through the core. Spread brown sugar on a plate or shallow pan and coat each pineapple slice on both sides. Place the slices in a microwavable dish and nuke for 4 minutes. The pineapple will be drenched in melted brown sugar ad beginning to tenderize. Take the pineapple and place it single layer on a baking sheet. When your roast gets out of the oven and is resting, pop the pineapple under the broiler to caramelize the pineapple.

If you would rather have apple sauce, I suggest one apple for each person and one for the pot. Peel and core the apples and chop into large bite size pieces. Place the apple pieces in a microwavable bowl and wrap with saran wrap or with a lid. Nuke for about 4-6 minutes or until fork tender but still slightly firm. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste. Depending on the apples, you may only need cinnamon.