Christmas recipe serves: 6
calories per serving: 480
preparationj time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 2 hours
not suitable for freezing

Christmas recipe ingredients:

• loin of pork, boned with skin scored, 1.4 kg (3 lb)
  
• salt and pepper
  
• honey, clear 60 ml (4 tbsp)
  
• mustard powder, 10 ml (2 tsp)
  
• lemon, grated rind from 1
  
• garnish, sprigs of rosemary and a few figs

stuffing:

• shallots, 4
  
• garlic clove, 1
  
• figs, dried no-soak 225 g (8 oz)
  
• apple, eating 1
  
• rosemary, fresh sprigs 2
  
• butter, 50 g (2 oz)
  
• lemon, grated rind and juice from 1
  
• dry sherry, 45 ml (3 tbsp)

Christmas recipe instructions:

1. Stuffing preparation: Chopped rosemary, peeled/cored/chopped apple, choppee figs, peeled and crushed garlic, peeled and chopped shallots.

2. Cook the garlic and shallots in butter until golden brown. Add the sherry, lemon rind and juice, rosemary, apple and figs. Stir until softened and most of the liquid reduced.

3. Place the cooled stuffing from step 2 along the middle of the salt and pepper seasoned pork loin (skin side down). Roll the piece up and tie up with string at several locations. Cook for 1 hour at gas mark 5 (190 degrees centigrade, 375 F).

4. Near the end of this time, heat together the lemon rind, mustard and honey. After the hour is up, brush this onto the pork and continue the cooking for another 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes.

5. Serve as carved slices (thick), garnished with rosemary sprigs and a few figs.

Heating and serving tips:

• Don't keep food hot for longer than an hour before serving
• Leave roast potatoes open to the atmosphere after cooking, to retain their crispness.
• Remember that it is harder to keep certain foods warm. e.g. root vegetable keep their heat well but spinach and cabbage don't.

Paul Curran

25 years in the Chemical Industry, mainly Research & Development. 10 years as a Health & Safety Consultant. Been involved in internet publishing since 2001. Now running Cuzcom Internet Publishing Group, producing consumer information products & resource web sites covering a variety of subjects.