Roast Pork with Orange and Rosemary

Ingredients

3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder or butt roast (if possible, hormone- and antibiotic-free)
1 tablespoon whole fennel seed
1 ½ tablespoons fresh rosemary, tightly packed
Grated zest of one orange
6 large cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup dry red wine
1/8 teaspoon each of salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Plus ¾ cup dry red wine for basting

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Puree the fennel seed, rosemary, orange zest, garlic, olive oil, ¼ cup dry red wine, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Or, use a mortar and pestle to blend all ingredients except the olive oil and wine; transfer to a bowl and use a fork to whisk in the oil and wine.
3. Cut 8-10 deep and wide slits in the pork roast. Stuff these with the orange-rosemary puree, reserving about one tablespoon to rub over the outside of the roast.
4. Set the roast in a shallow 9 by 13-inch pan. Roast in the preheated 325° oven for 20 minutes, then pour the ¾ cup red wine over the meat. Roast 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until the meat registers 150° on an instant-read thermometer. If the pan juices are in danger of burning, add a little water. If you'd like, you can run the finished roast under the broiler for a few minutes to brown it.
5. Let the roast rest, covered with foil, for 15 minutes; then slice and serve moistened with the pan juices. Serve with polenta, and green beans sautéed with mushrooms.

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Lynne Rossetto Kasper has won numerous awards as host of "The Splendid Table," including two James Beard Foundation Awards (1998, 2008) for Best National Radio Show on Food, three Clarion Awards (2007, 2008, 2009) from Women in Communication and a Gracie Allen Award in 2000 for Best Syndicated Talk Show.

Sally Swift is the managing producer of The Splendid Table. Before coming to the show, she worked in film, video and television including stints at Twin Cities Public Television, Paisley Park and Comic Relief with Billy Crystal. She also survived a stint as segment producer on The Jenny Jones Show.