Tonight, we had pork tenderloin in a sort-of cream sauce over brown rice. I have to say that my “thing,” if I even have one, is preparing stuff from scratch, in a short amount of time. And, unlike that annoying Rachael Ray who has her mug plastered all over every damn box in the grocery store, my dinners actually DO take 30 minutes or less, mostly. :)
Here is one of our favorite dinners. I got the idea from a recipe I saw posted on allrecipes and have modified it to our liking. It’s easy and quick, but it looks fairly elegant and like it took a lot more time. Not so much in my picture, of course, seeing as I am terrible at taking pics/presentation, but it COULD look pretty good. :) This dish is a little salty, a little creamy, a little herb-y. All good things if you ask me.
Italian Pork Tenderloin
Serves 2
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin, sliced into medallions
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms (optional)
1-2 tsp. chopped fresh sage (dried works perfectly fine, just use a few dashes only because dried sage can be quite potent)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 oz. proscuitto, diced (I get mine from the deli and ask that they chop it in one thick slice, so I can dice it easier)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream or half and half
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
toasted pine nuts for topping (optional)
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pork tenderloin and brown, about 1-2 minutes per side, but do not cook through completely. Remove from the pan. Stir in the prosciutto and cook until crisp; remove from pan.
To the skillet, add the onions and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add mushrooms, sage and parsley, and saute an additional 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sundried tomatoes and saute 1-2 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
Stir the broth and cream into the skillet and season to taste. Bring to a simmer, re-add the pork, and simmer until pork is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Add the prosciutto in before serving, and top with pine nuts if desired.
Notes: We usually have this over brown rice. Sometimes I will toss in some spinach if I have it on hand. You can also add a little white wine to deglaze the pan, and/or a little corn starch mixture at the end to thicken the sauce a little.
