Dried Plum-Stuffed Pork Loin in Sweet Sherry Sauce (Lomo Relleno)

Our method of butterflying the pork tenderloins allows the flavors of the sweet dried plum and piquant piquillo peppers to permeate the meat as it cooks. Serve leftover pork over polenta with a tossed green salad for an easy dinner another night.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces pork [3 slices] and about 2 tablespoons pan juices)

Ingredients

• 2  (1-pound) pork tenderloins, trimmed
• 2  tablespoons  minced fresh parsley, divided
• 3/4  teaspoon  kosher salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 12  bite-sized pitted dried plums
• 1/4  cup  sliced roasted piquillo peppers
• 1  tablespoon  all-purpose flour
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1 1/2  cups  vertically sliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
• 4  black peppercorns
• 2  garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1  bay leaf
• 1/3  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3  cup  cream sherry
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground cumin

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut 1 pork tenderloin in half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying the pork flat. Cut each half lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other side; open halves, laying pork flat. Repeat the procedure with remaining tenderloin. Sprinkle inside of tenderloins with 1 tablespoon parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, black pepper, and minced garlic. Top each tenderloin with 6 dried plums and 2 tablespoons piquillo peppers. Roll up each pork tenderloin, jelly-roll fashion, starting at long side. Secure pork at 2-inch intervals with twine; dust with flour.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 6 minutes on each side or until browned. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley, onion, peppercorns, unpeeled garlic, and bay leaf; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in broth, sherry, and cumin. Wrap the handle of pan with foil, and transfer pan to oven. Cover and bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink). Transfer pork to a platter; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork into 3/4-inch-thick slices, and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove whole garlic cloves; squeeze to extract pulp. Stir into pan juices (discard garlic skins and bay leaf). Serve pan juices with pork.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

204 (29% from fat)

Fat:

6.6g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

24.7g

Carbohydrate:

11g

Fiber:

2g

Cholesterol:

74mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

279mg

Calcium:

25mg