Ingredients

• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz boneless and rindless loin of pork
• 2 fat cloves garlic
• minced
• few sprigs fresh oregano
• plus more to serve
• 100g/3½oz Parma ham
• sliced
• â…“ tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 onion or 2 shallots
• unpeeled
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp dry white vermouth
• 4 tbsp boiling water

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Open up the loin of pork
• ready for stuffing
• by laying it out in front of you vertically so that the thick part is on the left (I’m right-handed). Now starting at the top
• cut through this thick part of the loin all the way down so that you can open it out to the left like a book. This will give you a larger surface area to lay the filling on.
• Spread the pungent garlic all over the meat. Then take the leaves from a few sprigs of oregano and dot them about too. Keep the stalks.
• Lay the pieces of ham horizontally over the pork loin
• this way it will roll up more easily as the roll will follow the long length of the ham slices.
• Sprinkle the chilli flakes over the ham and then roll up the loin
• starting from the open-ended side
• keeping as tight a roll as you can. Secure the meat with string at 3-4cm/1-1½in intervals
• knotting the lengths of string firmly. If you’re using stationer’s string rather than cook’s twine
• dampen it first. I wish I could instruct you as to how to tie proper knots
• but I do very bad knots myself. Were you to have the offer of a friendly hand - or rather finger - to hold the knot down as you tie it
• take it gratefully.
• Cut the onion or shallots into thick slices without peeling them
• and sit them in the bottom of a roasting tin to make the flavour-platform for the pork. Add the reserved stalks from the oregano
• sit the loin on top and drizzle with the oil.
• Cook for 1¼ hours
• when it’s cooked
• the juices must run clear when you put a skewer into the centre and a meat thermometer should read 71C/160F.
• Transfer the tin to a heatproof kitchen surface
• immediately pour the vermouth and boiling water into the tin and scrape all around the bottom of the tin so any oniony
• meaty stuck-on bits dissolve into this instant gravy. You can let the meat rest in this sauce for 15 minutes or so.
• When you are ready to slice the pork
• remove it to a board and warm the gravy (removing the onion bits) if it’s cooled. Cut the meat into approximately 2cm/1in slices
• or in other words
• thick enough for the slices to keep their shape and hold the filling. This size joint should give you 10 good slices plus the misshapen end-pieces.
• Arrange these sturdy slices on a bed of rocket with the gravy served separately in a little jug
• or just sit them on a warm plate and pour over them a little gravy or any extra juices the meat has made. Take some more oregano leaves and slice them into fine strips
• strewing them over the pork slices before serving.