Romertopf: Stuffed Pork Loin on Rice Pilaf

This is one of my favorite childhood meals. I asked my mom where she got the recipe from and she started giggling. That means she made it up one night to compliment my Grandmother’s rice pilaf, liked it, and kept making it. So I suppose that makes this a family recipe of sorts.

1 onion

Minced garlic

Olive oil

butter

Spaghetti (broken into 0.5-1 inch pieces)

Basmati rice

Chicken broth

Salt

White pepper

Craisins

Dried plums

Dried apricots

Fat pork tenderloin (cut in half)

Small piece of a cinnamon stick

2 cloves

Optional – Medira, Marsala, Chicken Broth, or water to soak fruit

A few hours before you plan to cook, fill both the bottom and top of the Romertopf up with water. Allow to soak several hours and empty right before you use them. This will ensure that the rice and pork will remain moist.

Grandmother’s Rice Pilaf: Heat up olive oil in a pan on medium high heat. Add chopped onion. Add minced garlic. Quickly brown. Add broken up dry spaghetti noodles and 2 TB butter. Brown the noodles. Add basmati rice. Cook 4-5 minutes. Add a can of chicken broth. Cook 5 more minutes. Place in the bottom of the Romertopf. The rice pilaf should still be just covered in broth. If not add more broth or water.

If you are using freshly open bags of dried fruit and the fruit is semi-moist, you can skip this step, but I don’t recommend it! It makes everything juicy and tasty. While you are making the rice pilaf. Boil the dried plums, apricots and craisins in water or chicken broth. Or soak them in Medira or Marsala for added flavor.

Using a sharp, long, skinny, pointy knife, cut a hole through the center of the pork loin. Now turn the knife around the other way and the hole again – all the way through to the end. Now put the knife through the hole from the other end of the pork loin. Starting on one end, stuff the dried fruit into the pork loin, alternating as you go. Keep stuffing until the fruit reaches the other side.

Salt and pepper (white or black pepper can be used – I prefer white) the outside of the tenderloin. Braise the outside of the pork tenderloin in hot olive oil on all sides.

Nestle the pork loin into the center of the rice pilaf with the fat on top in the Romertopf. Add 2 cloves and a small piece of a cinnamon stick to the rice pilaf for flavor. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The rice and pork loin should both be done.

Slice as much tenderloin as needed and serve over a bed of pilaf. Warn people to look out for the clove and cinnamon stick piece!