Roasted Pork Loin with Cardamom-Currant Jelly Sauce

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Roasted Pork Loin with Cardamom-Currant Jelly Sauce
Adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients:
Marinade
12 Cardamom Pods
1/2 Orange, peeled, cut into pieces
1/2 C. dry Red Wine
1/2 C. Olive Oil
3 whole Cloves
3 Cinnamon Sticks, broken into pieces
3 Bay Leaves
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. whole black Peppercorns
1 6-pound center-cut Pork Rib Roast with 8 to 10 bones

Sauce
1 t. ground Cardamom
3 T. Olive Oil
2 C. dry Red Wine
1 1/2 C. Pitted Prunes (about 10 ounces)
3/4 C. Prune Juice
1/2 C. Brandy
3 Cinnamon sticks
3 Bay Leaves
1/2 C. Plum Jam

Directions:

Combine first 10 ingredients in blender.  Blend until spices are finely ground, about 2 minutes.  Place pork in large glass baking dish.  Pour marinade over pork; turn to coat.  Arrange bone side up, tent loosely with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Scrape marinade from pork.  Pat pork dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle pork generously with 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, salt and pepper.  Heat oil in large roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat.  Add pork and cook until brown, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. 

Add wine, prunes, prune juice, brandy, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves to pan.  Transfer to oven.  Roast uncovered until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of pork registers 160 degrees, basting often with pan juices, about 1 hour 30 minutes.  

Transfer pork and prunes to platter.  Tent with foil.  Strain pan juices into large glass measuring cup.  Pour pan juices into heavy small saucepan.  Add jelly and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cardamom.  Simmer until jelly melts and sauce lightly coats spoon, about 8 minutes.  Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 

Serve pork with sauce.