We don't eat a lot of red meat in this house. In fact, it is a very rare thing. I am inclined to eat less and less of it these days, but . . . when I do, I try to make it a treat. And so, when we do have it we will indulge ourselves with a nice steak, or a good roast . . . some nice pork or lamb chops, or . . . as in this recipe here today . . . the filet mignon of the pork kingdom, a good free range Pork fillet, as it is called over here, or Pork Tenderloin in North America.
This is a cut of pork that comes from the loin, the eye fillet. It is a lazy muscle, which means it is very tender and lean. It can also be somewhat lacking in flavor when compared to the shoulder or the leg, but it also provides a beautiful canvas (much like the chicken breast) for you to paint upon it with lucious combinations of flavours in the shape of special rubs or sauces.
It also means that it is easily prone to drying out and so great care must be taken not to over cook it. I believe in this modern age it is quite acceptable to cook the tenderloin just until it is pink inside. You will come to no harm. Remove any tough white membrane or sinew from the outside of the loin before cooking (easily done with a sharp knife.), or the silverskin as it is known. There is a great tutorial on how to do that with photographs, here.
If roasting a whole loin, stuffing it will help keep it moist (prunes, apples, mushrooms, blue cheese are all good stuffing ingredients) as will a splash of liquid added to the roasting tin (wine, cider or stock all work well). Cut into slices (medallions) or strips, pork fillet can be pan-fried in a matter of minutes. Really, do take care not to over cook it and dry it out.
Today I coated it with a simple herb and cheese crust, along with some olive oil. It was cooked in a mere 30 minutes. Whilst it was cooking I created a delicious Green Olive and Lemon Sauce to serve spooned over top of those tender slices of pork.
It made a change from gravy. It was so delicious. This is truly Dinner Party Fare, so you will want to book mark it for one of those special occasions! What's nice about it too, is that it is quick and very easy to prepare and has such a lovely presentation. Enjoy!
*Parmesan Crusted Pork Tenderloin* with a
Green Olive and Lemon SauceServes 4Printable Recipe
Tender roasted Pork with a golden rosemary flecked cheese crust, served with a delicious sauce. This is dinner party fare!For the meat:2 (400g/3/4 pound each) pieces of whole pork tenderloin fillet3 TBS olive oil150g finely grated Parmesan Cheese (3/4 cup)a small bunch of fresh rosemary, stripped and finely choppedfine sea salt and freshly ground black pepperFor the sauce:1 TBS olive oil1 banana shallot, peeled and finely chopped250ml of white wine or good chicken stock (1 cup)1 juice of 1/2 lemona handful of dry cured, stoned green olives in garlic and herbs, chopped
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Place the cheese and rosemary onto a sheet of baking paper and mix well together. Have ready a roasting tin.Trim any sinew/fat/silverskin from the tenderloins and discard. Season the pork filets and brush with 1 TBS of the olive oil. Roll the pork fillets evenly in the cheese mixture, patting them lightly so that they are evenly coated. Place them into the roasting tin. Drizzle each with 1 TBS of the remaining olive oil.
Roast the tenderloins for 30 minutes in the heated oven, until the pork is cooked through and the crusts are golden brown. Cover lightly and leave to rest in a warm place.
For the sauce heat the olive oil in a shallow pan. Add the shallot and soften, stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock or wine and bring to the boil. Reduce by 1/2. Whisk in the lemon juice and olives. Taste and adjust seasoning. Tip any juices accumulated into the roasting pan into the sauce and whisk in.
Serve the pork cut into 1/2 inch slices with some of the sauce spooned over top.
I like to serve this with mash and a green vegetable.
This was absolutely lovely. Sometimes I make myself very proud of what I have done. Forgive me for my in-humility on this occasion! Sometimes what I do even amazes me. I love it when that happens.
