Don’t let the name of this recipe intimidate you – roulade simply means “to roll” – like a jelly roll or Christmas Yule log! Perfect for holiday entertaining, and easy to do, any meat – chicken, pork, beef or turkey, can be rolled around a a variety of fillings. Cheese, vegetables, nuts, sausage, or other meats are often used.
In this recipe, a pork loin is rolled around a tasty filling of tangy feta cheese, peppers and spinach and then roasted to perfection.
This dish requires the pork loin be prepared for rolling up, technically referred to as butterflying, which means the meat should be cut thinly into one large piece. If you are unfamiliar with preparing meat for roulade, simply explain to the butcher you intend to use the pork loin for rolling up and he will be happy to trim it for you.
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40-50 mins Servings: 8
Ingredients:
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons roasted red & yellow peppers, chopped
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
- 3 lbs boneless pork loin, butterflied
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Cooking twine
Directions:
- Heat oven to 425°F
- Season the inside of the pork loin with the Italian seasoning mix, salt and pepper.
- Layer the first 5 ingredients on pork loin. Roll lengthwise; tie at 1-inch intervals with cooking twine. If in doubt on how to truss the pork loin with butcher’s twine, watch this video from About.com
- Sprinkle the outside of the trussed roast with remaining seasoning, salt, and pepper. Place seam side down in pan.
- Roast for 40-50 minutes or until interior temperature reaches about 150-155°F degrees (don’t forget meat continues to cook, or rise in temperature after removing from oven, or as it rests). Cover the roast loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
- To serve, remove twine from roast, then slice into 1/2″ thick slices.
Tip: For even more intense flavour, before stuffing, try marinating the pork loin overnight in the refrigerator. Simply mix the Italian seasoning, a few chopped garlic cloves, salt and pepper with a little olive oil to make a paste. Spread the paste evenly over pork loin and marinate in refrigerator 2-3 hours or overnight.
