Chorizo Stuffed Pork Loin and Arugula Salad with Maple Dressing

I've been meaning to blog about this amazing meal for, like, forever.  Or since Friday when it was born.  But much to my dismay, I haven't been able to think of a story I felt like telling alongside the recipe for chorizo stuffed pork and arugula salad with maple dressing.  I guess I could just say that we made it, ate it, and then drank a bunch of wine and then at midnight, while playing Wii bowling, we all decided we should go REAL bowling.  We piled into the car (driven by someone fit to drive, of course) and headed to the classy bowling alley down the street.  Despite my stellar skills at Wii bowling, I'm quite terrible at real bowling, especially after midnight.  It was shameful.  I think I only broke 100 once out of 3 games, and it wouldn't have been SO bad, except for the fact that on the way there, I announced (loudly) at least 5 times that I was really awesome at bowling and was going to kick everyone's butts.  Talking smack doesn't work if you can never back it up.

Anyway!  That's all I've got for today.  Its rainy and gloomy outside and things are awfully slow here in my home office today.  Makes me want to take a nap (not that I would EVER do that).

I had been wanting to make this cornbread and chorizo stuffing for awhile and we thought about making Friday Night Dinner a practice Thanksgiving, but the boys nixed that idea.  So instead we decided to butterfly a large pork loin and stuff the chorizo mix in there, roll it up, and bake it with a little spice rub on the pork.  It was amazing!  And luckily since we cooked at our house, we got to keep the leftovers!  We served this with garlic butter roasted mushrooms and arugula salad with pomegranate seeds, blue cheese, bacon, and maple vinaigrette.  Yum!  And totally easier than it sounds - enjoy!

Roasted Pork Loin with Cornbread Chorizo Stuffing
Source: highly adapted from Epicurious

For the stuffing:

1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed (I used chicken chorizo to make it healthier)

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo, breaking it up with a spoon and stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have browned, about 10 minutes. Add the crumbled cornbread and cilantro and gradually pour in enough of the stock so the stuffing is not too dry but not too wet. Stir gently.

For the Pork:

1 pork loin roast, 3-4 pounds

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove fat from pork loin and butterfly, so that it lies flat (almost like a thick pizza crust).  Spread cornbread chorizo mix evenly on pork, going about an inch from the edge.  Press down to adhere and then sprinkle chopped cilantro onto the mixture.  Carefully roll pork loin (like sushi!) and secure with cooking twine.  Combine spices in a small bowl and rub mixture onto rolled pork.  Place on a baking sheet lined with foil and bake 20 minutes.

Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 additional minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 150-155 (make sure you insert thermometer into the meat itself, not the stuffing).  Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing into 1" slices.

Arugula Salad with Pomegranate Seeds, Dates, and

Blue Cheese

Source: My own creation

For the salad:
1 bag baby arugula
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
3 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and chopped (I used apple cinnamon flavored bacon from Whole Foods, and it was AMAZING)
1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled

7-8 large dates, pits removed and chopped

For the dressing:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2-3 tbsp apple cider

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon maple syrup (I used sugar free)

juice of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients (through salt and pepper).  Slowly add in olive oil, whisking to combine.  Drizzle dressing over salad and serve.