In November of 1998 we lived with nine of my fellow sailors in a large, colonial style brick house near a man made lake in Virginia Beach, VA. The house was at the end of a cul-de-sac called Coldingham Court. Thanksgiving came along, and my friend Mike and I decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner, since the alternative for the sailors with no families in the area was the Thanksgiving meal on the ship, and we didn’t want to subject the less fortunate to that. We cooked a turkey and sweet potatoes, typical Midwestern fare, and the dish that Mike prepared was typical, we guess, of Staten Island Thanksgivings. It was amazing. We thought, since the season is almost upon us again, We would give you the recipe for Mikes amazing Thanksgiving treat.

So, we now call it the Coldingham Pork Loin (Since we don’t know what they call it in Staten Island):

If you want to cook one, you will need:

4 oz. (1 cup grated) Mozzarella cheese

2 oz (1/2 cup grated) Parmesan cheese

2 oz cream cheese

1 tsp. butter

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 boneless pork loin

First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

The first thing to do is to prep the pork loin. Remembering that cleanliness is next to godliness, cut an incision through the center of the loin, probably with a butcher or chopping knife, so that the incision creates a cavity that does not go through the other end of the loin. You will be stuffing this cavity with cheese, so make sure it is wide enough for your fingers.

Next, add all of the remaining ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat until they are melted together, stirring regularly. This will create more of a paste than a sauce, and that is what we want. Sometimes we do this in the microwave, just remember to stir it occasionally. Let the mixture cool so that it can be handled, but don’t wait so long that the cheeses begin to solidify. Use a spoon or your clean fingers to stuff the loin with the cheesy stuffing. Place the pork loin in a deep baking dish. A small bread loaf pan is a good size. The general rule is about 25 minutes per pound on the baking time, but we usually give it a bit extra. Depending on the loin that you are using, it will probably be 3 to 5 lbs. and will require about an hour and a half to two hours of cooking time. The juices should be clear when the loin is pierced with a knife.

This recipe should serve four healthy adults or seven or eight little girls.