Pork Roast with Prunes

Here is a recipe that incorporates Italian tastes into pork roast with prunes.

Ingredients

• 1 pork roast of about 1kg
• 200g of dried prunes
• 300ml of robust red wine (such as Barolo or Chianti)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Meat broth as needed (if necessary)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Take the dried prunes and let them soak in a bowl with the red wine for about 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, take the pork roast and with a sharp knife, make small cuts on the surface. Insert the rosemary sprigs and the garlic cloves cut in half into the cuts.
4. Rub the pork with salt and pepper and lightly with extra virgin olive oil.
5. Heat an ovenproof pan and brown the roast on all sides until well golden. (If you don’t have an ovenproof pan, you can then transfer the roast to an oven tray.)
6. Place the roast in an oven tray and pour over the red wine in which you had put the prunes, also add the prunes around the meat.
7. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check from time to time, and if the roast gets too dry during cooking, add a bit of meat broth.
8. Remove the aluminum foil the last 20-30 minutes of cooking to allow the roast to brown further.
9. Once ready, let the roast rest for 10 minutes before slicing, so the internal juices distribute better.
10. Serve the sliced roast with the cooking sauce and the prunes.

Trivia

The addition of dried fruit like prunes to meat dishes is a widespread practice in various regions of Italy, where they often try to balance the robust flavors of the meat with sweet and tangy notes. In the case of wine, a structured red will contribute to creating a full-bodied and aromatic cooking base.