Apricot-Stuffed Spice-Rubbed Pork Loin
From Cooking Light

Make this among your first projects for the evening because the pork loin bakes for nearly two hours. You can also stuff it a day ahead, refrigerate, then pop it in the oven just before your guests arrive.


1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/3 cups finely chopped dried apricots (1 (6-ounce) package)
2 tablespoons capers
1 (3-pound) boned pork loin roast
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine apricots and capers; set aside. Trim fat from pork. Cut a 1 1/2-inch-wide horizontal slit into the end of pork; cut through to the other end of pork to form a deep pocket using a long, thin knife. Spoon apricot mixture into pocket; pack using the handle of a wooden spoon. Rub surface of pork with cumin mixture. Place pork on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Insert meat thermometer into thickest portion of pork. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 55 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° (slightly pink).

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 3 ounces stuffed pork)

CALORIES 256 (44% from fat); FAT 12.6g (satfat 4.3g, monofat 5.7g, polyfat 1.6g); PROTEIN 24.6g; CARBOHYDRATE 10.1g; FIBER 1.4g; CHOLESTEROL 81mg; IRON 2.1mg; SODIUM 297mg; CALCIUM 21mg;
Cooking Light, MAY 2000