Maple syrup glazed pistachio pork roast

Serves 8 people

Preparation time is 20 minutes; cooking time 1 ¾ hours.

Ingredients

• 40 whole, natural pistachios, shelled but not skinned
• 5 dried apricots, diced
• 1/3 cup sherry – (75ml)
• 2-2 ½ pound boned and rolled pork loin roasts – (1000grams)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil – (30ml)
• 2 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped – (30ml)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped – (15ml)
• Maple syrup glaze (recipe below)
• Pistachio sauce (recipe below)
• Salt and pepper

Maple Syrup Glaze 

• 2 tablespoon maple syrup – (30ml)
• 2 tablespoon dry sherry – (30ml)
• Dash of ground cinnamon and pepper

Pistachio Sauce

• 3 tablespoon maple syrup – (45ml)
• 2 tablespoon dry sherry – (30ml)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce – (15ml)
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch – (10ml)
• ¼ cup pistachios – (60ml)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Spread 24 of the shelled pistachios in one layer on a baking sheet.  Bake in the oven for 4-5 minutes.  Dump nuts on clean towel and let cool.  Take off the skins by rubbing the nuts between two towels.
3. Roughly chop the remaining pistachio nuts.
4. Soak the diced apricots in the sherry.
5. Fold open the pork roast.  Season the inside with salt & pepper and sprinkle with sherried apricots and the chopped nuts.  Tie off the roast.  With a sharp knife, make 24 slits, 1-inch deep all over the roast.  Insert a whole pistachio nut into each slit.  Rub the roast with oil, thyme, rosemary and salt & pepper.  Sear the roast in a skillet then place roast on a rack in a roasting pan and transfer to the oven.  Insert meat thermometer and roast to an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 1 ¾ to 2 hours), basting several times with the maple syrup glaze, using a pastry brush, during the last half hour.  When completed, transfer the roast to a serving platter.  Reserve the pan drippings for the pistachio sauce.
6. Combine the maple syrup, sherry, and cinnamon and pepper in a small bowl.
7. Heat the roasting pan, with drippings, on the stove, and add some boiling water to make approximately ½ cup.  Scrape up the tidbits on the bottom.  Add maple syrup, sherry, soy sauce and cornstarch.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add pistachios and stir. Serve over roast.