Roast Chorizo-Stuffed Adobo Pork Loin With Black Beans And Rice

This is the ticket when you are expecting a houseful of guests. The black beans and rice, which cook under the pork during the last 20 minutes of cooking, are the beneficiaries of the roast's spicy pan drippings. Leftover pork can be turned into an amazing pot of chili - just use your favourite recipe, shred the pork into bite-size pieces, and substitute it for the beef.

Serves 16 (or 8, with another meal of leftovers)

If you don't want to cook such a large roast, buy a 3 1/2- to 4- pound pork loin, halve the remaining ingredients, and roast it over a smaller pan to serve 8. Since a smaller roast is shorter — not thinner — the cooking time should not differ dramatically. Stuffed and seasoned, the roast can be refrigerated (no need to cover it) a day ahead.

16 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound fully cooked chorizo sausage, cut into large chunks
1 cup whole fresh cilantro leaves, plus 1 cup chopped
1/4 cup chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (from a 7-ounce can)
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ground cumin, divided
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons ground paprika
2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1 whole boneless pork loin (6–8 pounds; see headnote)
4 cans (15 to 16 ounces each) black beans, drained
1 quart chicken broth
2 cups long-grain rice
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

Heat garlic cloves and 3 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once garlic starts to sizzle, reduce heat to low and continue to cook, turning cloves once or twice, until soft and golden, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, place chorizo, 1 cup whole cilantro leaves, chipotles, bread crumbs, and 1 tablespoon cumin in a food processor bowl. Add garlic and its oil and process until ingredients are finely ground; set aside.

Mix remaining 2 tablespoons cumin with 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, paprika, and brown sugar in a small bowl.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Lay pork loin on a sheet of plastic wrap, fat side down. Slit pork loin lengthwise down center almost — but not quite — all the way through to form a long pocket. Brush cavity with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons salt and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper.

Line cavity with sausage mixture. Tie roast crosswise with butcher's twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals, alternating between one end and the other so stuffing remains even.

Brush roast with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle all over with cumin-paprika mixture.

Place roast on a wire rack set over a large heavy roasting pan and roast until a meat thermometer stuck into center registers 125 to 130 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Remove rack with pork from pan and add beans, broth, rice, and tomatoes.

Stir and return rack with roast to pan and return pan to oven. Continue to roast until a meat thermometer stuck into center of pork registers 155 to 160 degrees, about 20 minutes longer. Transfer to a carving board and let rest, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stir scallions and remaining 1 cup chopped cilantro into beans and rice; cover and keep warm. Just before serving, cut roast into 1/2-inch-thick slices, place on individual dinner plates and spoon some rice and beans alongside.

Drink: A full-bodied Zinfandel

Excerpted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers by Pam Anderson. Copyright 2010 by Pam Anderson.