Stuffed Pork Roast with Anchovies, Olives, and Tomatoes

Daria Souvorova

2 hour
serves: 4-6 people

I found myself with a lot of pork this week. That is a bit weird to say, so I must explain that I am making a Cassoulet for a dinner this weekend, so I purchased panchetta, salt pork, pork sausage, prosciutto, and a pork shoulder…I only needed a pound or two, but I only pork shoulder comes in 6-10 pound shoulders.

After I removed the skin, bone, and 2 pounds to use for the cassoulet, I was left with about 4 pounds of pork shoulder. I decided to butterfly the now boneless roast. I cut the slices in half and butterflied the two slices. I ended up with 2 3/4 inch thick slabs of meat about 8-10 inches wide and 12 inches long.

I have been reading Gordon Ramsay’s cookbook, and loved his recipe for stuffed lamb with anchovies. I figured it would work well with pork as well. I stuffed the pork with some red pepper flakes, oregano and anchovies and roasted the stuffed pork logs in a wine sauce with onions, tomatoes, capers, and Kalamata olives.

The pork and sauce turned out amazing! We boiled some potatoes and smashed them up a bit to serve as a bed. Serve a light, crisp salad on the side.

Ingredients:

• • • • • • 3-4 pounds pork shoulder, boneless
          • salt and pepper
          • 9 sprigs fresh oregano plus 2 tablespoons dried oregano
          • 1-2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
          • zest of 3 lemons
          • 2 jars anchovies, oil reserved
          • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
          • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
          • 2 tablespoons capers, drained
          • 1 1/2 cup kalamata olives, I used pitted, but either is fine
          • bottle of dry white wine
          • 1/2 28 oz container of plum tomatoes (I use the other half for my cassoulet)

    

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    2. Take your pork roast, and butterfly it (place the piece of meat on a flat surface and make a cut through the meat parallel to the cutting board, slicing it in half as if opening a book in the middle, leaving a little strip to hold the two pieces together like the binding in that book.)
       If the meat is thicker than 1 inch at this point, cut the butterflied piece in half and butterfly each of the halves. My slices ended up around 3/4 inch thick.
       Each piece was between 8-10 inches wide and 12 inches or so long.
    3. Dry off with some paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
    4. Sprinkle the zest of 1 lemon on each roast. Sprinkle the roasts with all but a small pinch of red pepper flakes and all but 3 sprigs of oregano.
    5. Carefully roll up the meat and tie with kitchen string.
    6. Heat a large oven safe frying pan or roaster on the stove top. Add the reserved anchovy oil and enough olive oil to make about 3 tablespoons of oil.
       Brown the pork roasts on all sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.
    7. Remove pork roasts and set aside.
    8. Add a bit more olive oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic until a bit browned, about 5 minutes or so.
       Add the remaining lemon zest, oregano, and red pepper flakes, olives, capers,
       and tomatoes with their juice.
    9. Deglaze with a bit of the wine, scrape up any of the bits left behind by the meat. Add remaining wine and boil for about 10 minutes.
    10. Return the pork to the pan.
    11. Place in the oven and bake for 1.5 or so hours until the meat is tender and cooked through. Thermometer should read 145°F.
        Flip the meat and baste it with the wine sauce every 10-15 minutes.
        Rest for 10-15 minutes before serving with some smashed potatoes and salad.