ingredients
serves 8
3 large pork fillets, weighing about
2 1/2 pound in total
8 ounce rindless streaky bacon
2 tbsp butter
2/3 cup red wine
for the prune stuffing
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, very finely chopped
4 ounce mushrooms, finely chopped
4 ready-to-eat prunes, stoned and chopped
2 tsp mixed dried herbs
2 cups fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
to finish
16 ready-to-eat prunes
2/3 cup red wine
16 pickling onions
2 tbsp All purpose flour
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Trim the fillets, removing any sinew and fat. Cut each fillet lengthways, three-quarters of the way through, open them out and flatten.
2. For the stuffing, melt the butter and cook the onion until tender, add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the remaining stuffing ingredients. Spread the stuffing over two of the fillets and sandwich together with the third fillet.
3. Stretch each rasher of bacon with the back of a large knife.
4. Overlap the rashers across the meat. Cut lengths of string and lay them at 3/4 inch intervals over the bacon. Cover with a piece of foil and hold in place, and roll the "joint" over. Fold the bacon rashers over the meat and tie the string to secure them in place. Roll the "joint" back on to the bacon joins and remove the foil.
5. Place in a roasting tin and spread the butter over the joint. Pour the wine around the meat and cook for 1 1/4 hours, basting occasionally with the liquid in the roasting tin, until evenly browned. Simmer the remaining prunes in the red wine until tender. Boil the onions in salted water for 10 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and add to the prunes.
6. Transfer the pork to a serving plate, remove the string, cover loosely with foil and leave to stand for 10 - 15 minutes, before carving into slices. Remove any fat from the roasting tin, add the flour to the sediment and juices and cook gently for 2 - 3 minutes. Then blend in the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Strain the gravy on to the prunes and onions, reheat and serve in a sauce boat with a ladle.
