It appears that I failed to get tickets to the Savour Food & Wine show before it sold out.
Consequently, it appears I will not be getting to taste:
- Slow roasted pork ribs with mango salsa, Buttermilk stilton biscuit with roasted duck and mini doughnuts with warm mocha chocolate
- Shaved Smoked BBQ Brisket on Rosemary Crouton with Grainy Mustard Aioli
- White chocolate & Grand marnier creme brulee
- Porter Cheddar soup with Beer grain molasses bread
- any of the ten artisanal cheeses from Foxhill
- and lots of other good sounding stuff
I don’t even want to think about what I won’t be getting to drink. Sigh.
As a consolation for this failure on my part, I plan to spend a little more effort on dinner one night this week. And, if I can find chestnuts, I’m going to go give this a try:
ROAST PORK STUFFED WITH CHESTNUTS AND APPLE
Choose to showcase one of Ontario’s own apples in this succulent roast of pork. Braeburn, Northern Spy and Crispin are all at their peak of flavour and make for a perfect accompaniment to the earthy chestnuts.
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) butter
- 1 cup (250 mL) onion, finely diced
- 1 apple, cored and finely diced
- 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tsp (10 mL) fresh garlic, finely chopped
- ½ tsp (2 mL) whole fennel seeds
- ½ tsp (2 mL) ground cardamom
- 1 cup (250 ml) roasted and peeled
- chestnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh sage, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (50 ml) water
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 2 lbs (1 kg) centre-cut pork loin, trimmed of all fat and tendon
- Kitchen twine to secure roast
- 2 tbsp (25 ml) olive oil
- 1 cup (250 ml) apple cider
- ½ cup (125 ml) 35% cream
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
- Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes. Add apple, ginger, garlic, fennel seeds, cardamom, chestnuts, sage and water. Cook for 7 minutes longer, or until onions are translucent and all liquid has been reduced. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
- With a sharp knife, butterfly the loin by making a slit lengthwise through the middle of the loin, opening it like a book. Make sure not to slice all the way through the meat.
- 4. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the pork between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to make sure it has an even thickness throughout.
- Generously season the pork with salt and pepper; spread the apple mixture on the right half of the loin. Fold over the left half and secure the roast with kitchen twine, making sure to replace any filling that has fallen out. Season again on the outside.
- Heat the oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully add the pork and brown well on all sides, about 20 minutes total. Place the skillet and pork in the oven and continue to cook until the internal temperature reads 160°F (70°C).
- Remove pork from pan, cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat add apple cider and cook for 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on pan. Add cream and cook another minute longer, or until sauce is desired thickness. Season to taste.
- Untie the roast, slice and serve with sauce.
Serves 6
(That’s from a recent-ish issue of Food & Drink, the “lifestyle” magazine that the LCBO uses to promote boozing as a classy activity. They have lots of good recipes up online, from their archives, but it appears this one hasn’t made it there yet.)
