Stuffed pork tenderloin

Somehow I always manage to crave this recipe when a snow storm is headed our way.  I was out shopping last Friday and was mentally trying to create a menu for a few days and I picked up the ingredients to make this stuffed pork for the Saturday night.  The recipe is one I have cooked for years out of the Delia Smith Complete Illustrated Cookery Course. I arrived home, listened to the 6:00 news and voila, a snowstorm headed our way for Saturday.  And it was an icy, messy doozy of a storm as well.
I had a fire lit in the afternoon in the living room and popped Babette's Feast in the DVD player, cranked up the surround sound and in to the kitchen I went to prep dinner while watching the film.  What else does a foodie geek do during a storm?  This is a great recipe for a dinner party as well.  It presents beautifully, is simple to make and needs only a side dish of haricot vert in garlic butter or perhaps Brussels sprouts roasted with a bit of pancetta and tossed with balsamic and lemon zest.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 Pork tenderloin weighing about 1 pound **
3 - 4 slices of good bacon
2 Tbs butter softened
salt and fresh pepper

For the stuffing:
1 oz butter
1 medium onion finely chopped
The leaves from two or 3 sprigs of thyme (or 1/4 tsp dried)
3 - 4 fresh sage leaves minced (or 1/4 tsp dried
3 oz. mushrooms finely chopped
4 oz fresh breadcrumbs (use a good loaf of bread, cut off crusts, pulse a few times in a food processor)
4 TBS chopped fresh parsley
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg beaten with 2 TBS cream (if you do not like eggs, you could omit the egg and just use a 3 TBS heavy cream.  Your stuffing will just be a bit crumblier)

For the Gravy
1 Tbs flour
10 ounces white wine. (I used a Gavi for this)

Preheat oven to 350 F

Slit the tenderloin(s) in half lengthwise and then using a rolling pin or a flat (not toothed) meat mallet to pound the two halves flatter and to make them a bit wider.  Season the pork with salt and pepper.

Make the Stuffing:
Melt the butter in a frying pan and saute the onions gently until soft.  Add the herbs and stir once or twice.  Add the mushrooms and raise the heat just a bit.  Add a pinch of salt and stir.  The mushroom should exude some juice.  When the juice have almost evaporated, empty the contents of the pan into a bowl.  Allow it to cool slightly and add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir the mixture together and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the stuffing on to one half of the tenderloin.  Pat it down lightly to keep it a bit firm.  Place the other half on top.  Smear with 1 TBS of the softened butter.  Lay the slices of bacon lengthwise down the top of the tenderloin.  Using kitchen twine tie everything together at about inch and a half to two inch intervals to make a nice bundle.

Using the other TBS softened butter, grease the bottom of a roasting pan.  Carefully transfer the tenderloin to the pan and bake in the oven for 1 hour.  When the roast is cooked, remove it from the pan to a cutting board.  Tent with foil. 

Place the roasting pan on the stove top.  Turn the burners on to low or medium-low heat.  Add the flour to the pan drippings and using a wooden spoon stir until the flour is damp from the juices, add the wine and scrape up and bits stuck to the pan.  Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until it thickens.  Turn off the heat.  Taste for seasonings.

Remove the strings from the roast and carve across into tenderloins.  Serve the gravy on the side.

**If the tenderloin tapers quite a bit at one end and is rather thin, I buy two.  I slice each one open as a book, leaving the edge connected and pound it a bit flatter.  When I roll them together I stack the thin ends on opposite sides.  When you roll and tie it, it will look like one large roast.

Comments

[Sam]

looks and sounds delicious!
babettes feast has been one of my favourites for years, but its a long time since i saw it - i must get it out again! thanks for the reminder.

[Mary]

Oh my, this sounds wonderful. I didn't know about you - will be back, for certain. Thanks for the receipe and movie suggestion.

[Pink Poppy]

Hello! I am here on behalf of the membership of The Poppy Club. We appreciate the fabulosity of your blog and congratulate you on your recent success in The Best of Blogs Award competition. We are hosting a party to celebrate you and your fellow finalists and would be honored if you would join us to walk the Red Carpet and greet your fans:

Friday, Saturday and Sunday--January 21-23
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http://tall-poppy-diaries.blogspot.com

Attire: Black Tie
Red Carpet Opens at 12:01 on Friday, January 21

We hope that you and your friends can join us. And again, please accept our congratulations and best wishes for a very successful and happy 2005.

[Sarah]

Gorgeous. I dated a Muslim for three months. It was five years ago, but I've been making up for the pork I missed out on ever since. This is a great addition to my lineup.

[MM]

Ah, this is also one of my faves. I did not eat much pork growing up but when I got murdered .. I mean married, my then husband loved pork so I used to make this. I started liking pork after that. The husband I still wasn't sure about so I kept the pork recipe & ditched the husband. LOL. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

[Angel]

Thank you so much for sharing all these wonderful recipes. I have a HUGE dinner to cook tomorrow night for several people and will be preparing a couple of the Stuffed Tenderloin from your recipe. You have saved the day and it sounds like it will be delicious. Sincerely, Angel

[Flash Gordon]

Just made this tonight. To give it a little twist, fully caramelize the onions and add an chopped apple with the mushrooms. I also reduce 3/4 litre of apple juice to 1/4c and added to gravy. mmmmmmmmmmm

Thanks, great recipe.

[rrxtwo]

Stumbled upon this and am so glad that I did! Made it tonight, huge success! Thanks for a fab recipe!!!