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Sweet & Savory Holiday Entertaining

Holiday Chopped Salad, Chocolate Rum-Raisin Bread Pudding,
Rolled Pork Loin With California Raisins and Herbs, Pilaf Extraordinaire and Mountain Paella With California Golden Raisins

(Family Features) - Looking for something outside the box? Want meals to lift your holiday festivities to new realms? Test your culinary prowess on Rolled Pork Loin with California Raisins and Herbs. Every bite is a sweet, savory experience.

Craving simple elegance? The Mountain Paella With California Golden Raisins garnished with lemon and olives guarantees that guests will ask for seconds.

Add exotic taste and texture with Pilaf Extraordinaire's saffron and toasted, slivered almonds. Drizzle herbs and olive oil over the simple Holiday Chopped Salad to complement all your holiday meal celebrations.

Decadent and rich - Chocolate Rum-Raisin Bread Pudding studded with plump California raisins pushes comfort food to a new height that will keep your guests talking well into the New Year.

Juicy, sweet California raisins - infinitely versatile - bring a taste of the world to some familiar dishes and a boldness to others. As America embraces foods and flavors from foreign lands, the little raisin is growing in culinary stature.

Add creativity, sophisticated appeal and uniqueness to all your holiday menus with California raisins. For more delicious recipes, visit the California Raisin Growers' web site www.calraisins.org.

Pork is the perfect dish no matter the occasion. Pork is versatile because its taste marries well with all flavors from savory to sweet, making it a great pairing with fruits like raisins for that elegant approach to holiday dinners. Visit www.otherwhitemeat.com, search for your favorite cut of pork and enjoy recipes perfect for your next gathering.

Holiday Chopped Salad

Dressing
1 medium shallot, minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Salad
2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and dried, outer leaves removed, cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
1/2 cup California golden raisins, plumped in warm water one minute, drained
8 ounces Black Forest ham, 1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, 1/2-inch squares
8 ounces salami, 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls in brine), halved
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pepperoncini, chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
Parmigiano-Reggiano, shaved, for garnish

Dressing: Combine first 5 dressing ingredients in small bowl. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.

Salad: In mixing bowl, toss romaine with 1/3 cup dressing. Divide among 4 chilled salad plates. Toss all other prepared salad ingredients with remaining dressing; divide and spoon equally on top of romaine. With vegetable peeler, shave

Parmigiano Reggiano on top as garnish.

Serves 4

Chocolate Rum-Raisin Bread Pudding

8 cups bread cubes, 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup good-quality bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped into "chip-size" pieces
1 cup California golden raisins, soaked in 1/4 cup dark rum
4 large eggs
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 11 x 9 x 1 1/2-inch baking pan. Spread bread cubes in pan; sprinkle chocolate pieces and raisins evenly on top. Set aside.

In large mixing bowl, whisk remaining ingredients together. Pour over bread mixture. Let stand about 5 minutes.

Place pan containing pudding inside larger pan filled with hot water halfway up sides of pudding pan. Bake, uncovered, about 40 minutes or until sharp knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean.

To serve: Cut into 20 squares. Serve warm.

Serves 20

Rolled Pork Loin With California Raisins and Herbs

4 pounds boneless pork loin, trimmed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Filling
1 1/2 cups onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes with
Italian herbs, chopped, drained
1 tablespoon jalapeno chilies, diced
1 or 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup California raisin paste
(blend 2 cups raisins in food processor or blender until finely chopped/smooth)
1 cup California raisins
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons white wine

Rub 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

To prepare pork for stuffing: Using long slicing knife, with pork loin facing away (lengthwise at 12 o'clock), make 3/4- inch-deep cut along right edge for entire length of roast. Then, starting inside that cut, holding knife at an angle, cut another 3/4-inch-deep cut along previous cut. Keep turning roast, repeating these 3/4-inch-deep cuts until you have one large square "sheet" of pork.

Filling: In heavy-bottomed sauté pan, sauté onions in olive oil until caramelized and tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low 15 to 20 minutes until flavors blend.

Rub: Mix Dijon mustard, minced garlic cloves and 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

Assemble/serve: Preheat oven to 325°F. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread filling evenly over flattened loin to 3/4 inch around all edges. Roll loin jelly- roll style and tie with string. Spread rub on outside of rolled loin. Bake, basting occasionally, 45 to 60 minutes, to internal temperature of at least 140°F for medium, 150°F for juicy medium-well. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Slice and serve.

Serves 6

Pilaf Extraordinaire

1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon saffron, crumbled
Dash pepper
2 cans (10 1/2 ounces each) condensed beef consommé
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup California almonds, slivered
3/4 cup California raisins

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy skillet. Add rice; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add seasonings, consommé and water. Cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender.

Meanwhile, sauté almonds in remaining 2 tablespoons butter until soft and tender; set aside. Stir raisins and almonds into hot cooked rice; let stand 5 minutes before serving. Mound rice on serving platter and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Mountain Paella With California Golden Raisins

1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound chorizo sausage, cut into 1/4-inch rings and browned
1 pound of chicken, cooked and diced
1 cup red onion, cut into small dice
4 cups fresh tomatoes, cut into medium dice
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (about 4 medium cloves)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 cup California golden raisins
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup julienne roasted red peppers (1 or 2 roasted peppers)
3 cups arborio rice
1/2 pound small shrimp (35 to 40 count), peeled and deveined
Lemon wedges for garnish
Manzanilla olives for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. In large roasting pan, combine all ingredients except arborio and shrimp; bring to simmer on top of stove. Sprinkle raw rice over mixture and stir to combine evenly.

Place roasting pan in oven; bake 25 to 30 minutes. Add shrimp. Continue baking 6 to 8 minutes or until shrimp and rice are cooked and mixture seems dry. Let paella stand 5 minutes before serving.

To serve: Serve paella in bowls. Garnish with lemon wedges and Manzanilla olives.

Serves 14

SOURCE:California Raisin Marketing Board
National Pork Board