Armagnac Roast Pork Stuffed with Prunes & Shallots

One of the key ingredients here is Armagnac, a brandy produced in Gascony and valued for the aroma and taste it gives to cooking. The author says she uses more Armagnac to enhance her dishes than she actually drinks.

• 24 large soft pitted prunes
• 2 cups red wine
• 1/4 cup Armagnac
• 2 1/2 pounds pork loin
• 3 shallots, minced
• Salt & freshly milled black pepper
• 2 carrots chopped finely
• 1 celery stalk, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon butter

METHOD

Chop 6 prunes into small pieces and place in a small bowl with the rest of the whole prunes. Add the red wine and Armagnac. Soak for 30 minutes up to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F..

Slit pork loin lengthwise. Remove whole prunes from wine and, together wit minced shallots, stuff loin generously. Season with salt and pepper and wrap and tie the roast with kitchen twine.

In a roasting pan on top of stove, sauté diced vegetables with olive oil, stirring until golden brown and well caramelized. Remove vegetables and set aside.

Deglaze pan with vinegar, pour off the liquid and set aside for basting.

Place stuffed pork roast in pan and cook 45 minutes per pound, basting often. (Use meat thermometer to test doneness.)

When done, remove roast from oven, place on warm platter and cover with foil. Roast will continue to cook and meat will relax and be more tender.

Sauce: After removing meat from pan, drain fat and place pan on top of stove. Add reserved vinegar and deglaze pan again with wine and prune pieces. Stir crusty bits from bottom and boil gently to reduce liquid to 3/4 cup. Whisk in butter and reserved vegetables. Serve sauce with carved roast

Serves 4 - 6

Reprinted with permission from ©2004 Kate Hill A CULINARY JOURNEY IN GASCONY published by TenSpeed Press

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