Fontina & Caper-Stuffed Pork Roast

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Line a sheet pan with foil. Pat the pork dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on all sides. Transfer to a work surface, fat side up. To create a “pocket,” cut a 4-inch-long slit lengthwise through the center of the fat side, keeping the bottom and ends intact. Stuff with the capers and fontina. Transfer to the sheet pan. Roast 33 to 35 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.* Transfer to a clean cutting board; let rest at least 5 minutes. 

*An instant-read thermometer should register 145°F.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the stems of the sweet peppers; remove the cores, then quarter lengthwise. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. Peel and thinly slice the shallot. Roughly chop the olives. Combine the chopped garlic, sliced shallot, and chopped olives in a bowl. Roughly chop the roasted peppers. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and stems. Cut off and discard the stems of the shishito peppers; halve crosswise on an angle. Thoroughly wash your hands, knife, and cutting board immediately after handling. Grate the Grana Padano on the small side of a box grater.

Place the pasta in a strainer; thoroughly rinse under water to remove any excess starch. Transfer to the pot of boiling water. Cook, uncovered, 6 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Turn off the heat. Reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the quartered sweet peppers and halved shishito peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the prepared shallot mixture. Cook, stirring frequently,  1 to 2 minutes, or until softened. Add the vinegar (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the liquid has cooked off. Turn off the heat.

To the pot of cooked pasta, add the cooked vegetables, spinach, butter, chopped roasted peppers, reserved pasta cooking water, and as much of the chile paste as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the spinach is wilted. Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Slice the rested pork crosswise. Serve the sliced pork with the finished pasta. Garnish the pork with the chopped parsley. Garnish the pasta with the grated Grana Padano. Enjoy!