I adapt a lot of recipes…mostly to match our personal preferences or to save time but when you’re forced to change things in a recipe because the grocery store is out of some of the called-for ingredients it can be a little aggravating. On our last night in Maui I made dinner for my family. Cooked several things but the one I really wanted to try was this Bon Appétit cover recipe that had been haunting me in my dreams. Okay, not really but come on…pork stuffed with pork wrapped in pork?! The only thing that would have been better is if it came with a mountainous side of thick slab bacon. 

So off I went to Safeway. Note to self: remember not to grocery shop on any island in Hawaii on a Monday; you’ll be sorely disappointed because they’ll be out of most everything. I should have done a different dish but once I get something in my head it’s hard to change my mind. Bound and determined, swapped kale for the chard, dried chanterelles for the porcini and Hennessy for the Calvados {don’t judge – it was the only remotely close thing I could find in a small airplane-size bottle}. No ground pork at the meat case and was told they could not grind any fresh for me. Huh? Must be some crazy health code thing. Okay, so no ground pork. Made me want to cry. But the clincher was when I  asked the butcher to please butterfly the pork loin for me he looked at me weird. That, followed by a series of strange butchering questions, gave me pause but not enough to say, “That’s okay, I can do it at home. Thanks.” Note to self number two: always go with your gut instinct. I’m not really sure what he did to that poor pork loin, I’m sure it didn’t deserve it, but whatever it was, was not a butterfly cut. Salvaged it best I could and then gave my very lovely cousin Victor the unenviable task of slicing it when it was cooked. {We were all in Maui for his wedding to my cousin Diana. Pretty sure Victor was secretly cursing my name for asking him to do this task. I’m just glad he’s a whiz in the kitchen because he was able to save it from completely falling apart.}  Despite all the challenges, it tasted pretty good and although there was no meat thermometer, it wasn’t overcooked. That, in and of itself, is a little victory.

Note to self number three: if at first you don’t succeed…well, you know the rest. I’m a hardhead {this will come as no surprise to any of my friends} so I was determined to make this again. Perfect butterflied loin {I trust my local butcher but still did it myself – mostly just to prove a point. To who I don’t know since the Maui butcher wasn’t here nor do I think he’d actually give a rip. Don’t get me wrong, he was a very nice young man. Just a very bad butcher.}, all the right ingredients, good roasting pan…success!  My only tip is, if you can, buy the prosciutto from your deli counter versus the prepackaged stuff. You can buy just what you need, about six slices, the cut will be larger so it will better wrap completely around the loin and you can get it sliced a little thicker than the paper-thin prepackaged prosciutto. And make sure they put paper between the slices – not plastic.  I love that you can make most of this ahead. It’s perfect for a dinner party. And did I mention all the pork? Now what are you waiting for? Get cooking!