PORK STUFFED WITH MANCHEGO AND MEMBRILLO
Membrillo is a sweetened quince jelly, which, given that quince is related to the pear and apple, goes brilliantly with pork. You can find it in international and gourmet food stores. The Spanish normally eat it with cheese, so I’ve paired it here with Manchego, a hard sheep’s milk cheese. You could equally use a hard pecorino instead. Serve with roasted potatoes and sautéed carrots.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Lay the pork loin, skin side down, on a cutting board and cut three-quarters of the way into the flesh lengthwise from top to bottom. Open the meat out to form a long rectangle and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Arrange the slices of cheese and the membrillo along the center of the meat. Scatter the leaves from 1 sage sprig on top, and roll the meat up to enclose the stuffing. Tie at 1-inch intervals along the length of the meat with string.
  4. Place the thyme and remaining sage in an ovenproof roasting pan with the garlic. Lay the pork on top, skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
  5. Transfer the roasting pan to the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn the oven down to 350°F and cook for an additional 50 minutes until the pork is just cooked through. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside on a serving dish to rest.
  6. Put the roasting pan on the stovetop. Pour in the sherry and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck in the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat, crush the garlic, and remove the herbs. Add any resting juices from the meat.
  7. To serve, carve the pork into thick slices, strain the sauce, and pour it over the meat.