Festive Fruit and Walnut Stuffed Pork Roast

A beautiful stuffed pork roast filled with a medley of fruit and walnuts livens up both the plate and the palate! Pork roasts go well with fruit and nuts - this makes for a wonderful holiday meal.

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme, fresh
• 1 teaspoon sage, fresh
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 pear, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberries, dried
• 4 apricots, dried, soft, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup California walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup apple or cranberry juice, divided
• 1–3 pound pork loin roast, boneless, trimmed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and then add the onion and garlic.
3. Sauté until onion is tender 3 to 5 minutes. Add the thyme and sage and the stock. Cook down.
4. Scrape the pan to loosen any material and add to this mix the chopped pear and apple. Lower the heat and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the cranberries, apricots, walnuts and 1/4 cup of juice.
6. Cook down again – about 5 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the nut fruit mixture is thick. Remove 1/3 cup of fruit medley and set aside in a bowl. Cool both.
7. Oil a large roasting pan and rack.
8. Split the pork roast horizontally, forming a pocket; do not cut all the way through. Season roast inside and out with salt and pepper. Pack the medley in the center and tie roast with enough butcher's twine to hold it together.
9. Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add roast and sear on all sides until well-browned.
10. Transfer to the prepared rack set in the roasting pan and roast until a thermometer inserted in the center registers 145 to 150 degrees F, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.
11. Remove roast to a carving board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
12. Whisk remaining apple juice and deglaze roasting pan. Pour into reserved fruit mixture.
13. Slice into 1 1/2 inch slices and serve with the walnut fruit medley gravy.

Nutrition

Per serving: 300 Calories Fat 12g Saturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 4g Polyunsaturated Fat 5g Cholesterol 100mg Sodium 320mg Carbohydrates 12g Dietary Fiber 2g Protein 37g

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: California Walnuts
By Donna Ryan