The name is a contraction of mata hambre, hunger killer in Spanish. It's a traditional dish of Argentina which in its classic rendition is done with a less than desirable cut of beef. The creators of this version have substituted pork as the meat as it is more flavorful and less tough than the original. Otherwise the recipe remains true to form.
One butterflies a pork loin* to create a flat slab onto which is layered chimichurri sauce, salumi of your choice, roasted red peppers, green olives, bread crumbs, and hard boiled eggs. It's all rolled up, trussed with string and roasted.
The finished roast is rested, then sliced. It is served with additional chimichurri sauce. A very satisfying medley of flavors.
Recipe is taken from the Milk Street cooking magazine November-December 2018 issue. An excellent series and well worth the money.
Ingredients
Chimichurri Sauce:
3 cups lightly packed flat leaf parsley
1/2 cups lightly packed oregano (halve if dried)
7 medium cloves garlic
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp pepper flakes
Salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
Combine all ingredients except vinegar and oil in a food processor and chop finely. Add oil and vinegar then blend until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup to season the pork. The remainder is for the table.
The Roast:
1 tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp light brown sugar
Salt and ground pepper
4 pound boneless, center cut pork loin- preferably one with a fat cap
6 ounces thinly sliced capicola or mortadella
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1 1/2 cups drained roasted red peppers in strips
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
3 hard boiled eggs, halved
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Butterfly and tenderize the pork loin if you haven't had your butcher to it for you. With a very sharp butcher or similar knife start by slicing lengthwise down the center of the loin (the side opposite the fat cap!) to within about 1/2 inch of the full depth. Keeping blade parallel to the cutting board slice the loin to the same 1/2 inch thickness by using a series of short incisions and unfolding the meat as you go until the entire loin has been unfolded out to a slab about 1/2" thick. Don't fret if if doesn't look pretty or perfectly even. As long as you don't slice all the way through, it won't matter. Use a heavy meat tenderizer to flatten out the slab.**
Combine the the spices and rub over both sides of the pork. Spread the 1/4 cup reserved chimichurri evenly over the open face of the butterflied meat. Then layer the salumi to cover entire surface, followed by the olives, then the red peppers. Sprinkle with the panko breadcrumbs. Finally, evenly space the halved eggs about 3 inches from the end of the loin that will commence the roll. Lift that end and begin to form a tight roll. Seam down (fat cap up) tie the roll up with 8 24 inch lengths of twine. Brush the roast with the olive oil.
Place the roll seam side down onto a foil lined baking tray into which is fit a wire rack. Place into preheated oven at 350℉ for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the center of the roast has reached 135℉. Remove from oven and let it rest on the wire rack for 30-60 minutes.
Cut into 1/2 inch slices, sprinkle with flaky salt and serve with the chimichurri sauce on the side. A nice Argentine Malbec would compliment this nicely. Buen provecho!
*You can have your butcher butterfly the pork or in the case of those who don't eat pork, a flank steak. In either case consider having the butcher tenderize the meat as well.
** The link below gives you some idea about how to butterfly a pork loin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Vl78vJMJ8
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