Ingredients: 1 pork loin (natural, not “enhanced”), about 1.25 lbs., 1 cup Kalamata olives, 1 small yellow onion, 2 average-sized cloves of garlic, parsley, olive oil.
Brine the pork loin in 1.5 quarts of water, 3 tablespoons salt and 3 tablespoons sugar for an hour. Drain and rinse, then butterfly the loin so it opens up flat.
Pit the olives if necessary. Coarsely chop the onion, garlic and about 2 tablespoons of parsley, then process the olives, onion, garlic, parsley and a pinch of sugar in a food processor or blender until they form a paste. Add about a quarter cup of olive oil (as needed) to thin the paste. You want the paste to be thick enough to cling to the loin, but not thicker. The oil keeps the pork from drying out. Salt and pepper to taste.
Spread a layer of the paste on the loin, roll up without squeezing too much of the paste out, and tie. Put the loin in a baking dish, then coat the outside of the rolled-up loin with the rest of the paste.
Place in heated 375 F oven for about an hour and 15 minutes, until the center temperature registers 140 F. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. The slices should be very slightly pink on the inside. Serves 4-5 unless someone is a big meat eater.
There will be olive paste in the dish that you can toss with spaghetti as a side dish.