Stuffed loin of pork with basil and ratatouille
Ingredients
For the pork
- 1kg/2lb 3oz boneless loin of pork, skin removed
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp chopped basil
- 200g/7oz sausage meat
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp basil, chopped
- 1 tsp garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
For the ratatouille
- 120ml/4fl oz light olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- salt
- Β½ red pepper, finely diced
- Β½ yellow pepper, finely diced
- 6 plum tomatoes, peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- sprig of fresh thyme, or about Β½tsp dried thyme
- 2 medium courgettes, cut into 1cm/0.5in dice
- 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm/0.5in dice
Method
To make the stuffed loin of pork, place pork, silverskin side down, vertically in front of you. With a large knife, make an incision along the length of the loin 2cm/3/4in from the edge. Roll back the cut edge, and make another cut slightly sideways, maintaining a thickness of 2cm/3/4in. Continue cutting in this way until the loin opens like a roly-poly sponge.
To marinate the pork, rub the inside with the crushed garlic, and season with the sugar, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Sprinkle the chopped basil over the inside, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
the next day preheat the oven to 220C/430F/Gas 7. Mix the sausage meat with the pine nuts, herbs and garlic. Take the loin of pork from the fridge, and with a kitchen towel, wipe off the basil that was left on overnight.
Spread the sausage mixture over the inside of the pork, and roll it up tightly, and tie it at 2.5cm/1in intervals (although it can be wrapped in foil.) Season the outside.
Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large oven-proof pan until foaming. Add the pork and place in the hot oven. For the first 10 minutes, turn the pork frequently until well browned. Lower the heat to 180C/360F/Gas 4 and cook for another 45 minutes, turning occasionally.
Remove from the oven, lightly cover with foil, and allow to cool. When you serve it, cut it into 12 even slices, and serve with salad or with the ratatouille.
To make the ratatouille, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil and sweat the onion with a pinch of salt, until soft and translucent.
Add the peppers and cook for another five minutes.
Cut the tomatoes in half, squeeze out the seeds, and cut into small cubes.
Add the tomatoes, the garlic, and the thyme to the onion and pepper mixture, cover, and continue cooking.
In a separate frying pan pan heat two tablespoons of the olive oil over a high heat. Add the courgettes, and cook until lightly browned, then tip into a colander to drain off the excess oil.
In the same frying pan, add the remaining olive oil, and once hot add the aubergines. Brown them and drain as you did with the courgettes. Sprinkle them both with a little salt, and then add them to the onion, pepper, and tomato mixture. Cover and cook out for a further 10 minutes.
Serve hot or cold, by itself, or as a accompainment to the stuffed pork loin.
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