Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

 

Tender and all the herbs you can handle. Sunday roasts or even weekday roasts, if you are inclined to do so, never tasted better. Seemingly effortless and there was enough leftovers to make pulled pork. You can easily double this recipe for a more thick aromatic rub.   

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 teaspoon olive oil

2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 pork tenderloins, about 3/4 pounds each

Heat oven to 450ºF. Spray with cooking spray or line the bottom of a shallow roasting pan with baking parchment paper.

In a medium sized bowl mash all ingredients together, except pork, into a paste. Rub the paste on pork. Place it in the prepared pan. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155ºF. Carefully remove from oven and cover pork with aluminium foil and let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until thermometer reads 160ºF. 

Notes: General guidelines for roasting pork tenderloin apply with an approximate cooking time of 20 to 30 minutes per pound. Cooking the pork tenderloin at a high temperature helps cook it quickly and prevents it from drying out. 

Guinness Infused Cumin and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Root Vegetables

Sunday dinner was an interesting one. I was inspired by my luv of the spice cumin and a can of Guinness. The rosemary was a last minute add. Why not have stout as the liquid base for the pork tenderloin and root veggies. I definitely saved the stock. 

I rolled the pork tenderloin in olive oil making sure all sides were lightly coated and then added the spices rolling to ensure each side was coated with cumin and rosemary. The pantry was very fragrant over the weekend do to the cumin! The Guinness was added to the bottom of the slow cooker pot, then some veggies, then the herbed pork tenderloin was set on top of the veggies and more veggies were added around it. The remaining Guinness was poured on top. The slow cooker was set to low for about 5 hours. 

The veggies were not under or over done for the most part because I decided to slice them chunky. A subtle flavour infused by the Guinness however still true their form, taste and texture. There were parsnips, carrots and multi coloured baby potatoes. With a few quarters of white onion here and there for sweetness.

When all was done this is how it got plated. Just a dash of summer savoury. I was going to make a gravy however I feel sometimes we may add sauce for the sake of making it taste better or hiding the natural flavours. I did have a bit of Fortnum's Piccadilly Piccalilli to the side of the meat, not pictured here, but the pork tenderloin was very melt in your mouth that it stood happily on it's own. - JW  

Blackcurrant and Shallot Pork Tenderloin

I had some Blackcurrant and Shallot compote for brie cheese in the fridge that desparately wanted to be used or should I say that I wanted to use. Knowing that pork tenderloin was on the dinner menu I decided that this is where it shall go. As much as I like using the oven having a slow cooker can be just as effective in having delicious tasting meals as long as you are able to plan ahead.  

I place about a 1/2 cup of low sodium organic chicken stalk in a slow cooker. Added some veggies like carrots, potatoes, onions and leeks. Then place the pork tenerdloin on top and add the remaining veggies around the pork tenderloin. Then drizzled some olive oil on top.  Adding a pinch of salt and some pepper. Then placed the blackcurrant and shallot compote on top of the pork and cooked on high for about 6 hours. 

The house smelt wonderful. I served the pork with a bit of hot English mustard with red chili on the side which complemented the sweetness of the pork. The veggies were tender and had a hint of sweetness to them thanks to the compote. It was simply a delicious robust meal. - JW   

Peachy Pork Tenderloin

Nothing says summer like peaches. Peaches remind me of stopping at a roadside fruit stand while driving in the country and buying fresh local fruit. It all seemed magical to me. Novel, I suppose... fruit came from the grocery store. With this recipe I tried to capture sweet summer days.

The ingredients you will need are:

2 tablespoonfuls of olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of cajun spice
1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin 
two cloves garlic chopped and minced
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of peach jam
chicken or vegetable stock
water
a slow cooker

You can always tweak the measurements to your liking. Mix the olive oil, cajun spice, ground cumin, chopped garlic and peach jam in a bowl. Add some chicken stock and water to the slow cooker. This is to make sure that the pork doesn't stick. Place the pork tenderloin into the slow cooker. Place the mixture over top of the pork. Making sure all the surface is covered. Add some crushed black pepper and a pinch of salt on top. Close the lid and cook on low for 4 hours. Slow cookers are valuable in the winter and a heavenly in the summer. When the days are hot... very hot, who wants to be sweltering in the kitchen. 

You may also add fresh peaches with the ingredients or possibly make a fresh peach compote to serve with the cooked pork. The aroma in the house was absolutely scrumptious! I found the flavour was more of a smoky sweetness and not so heavy on the peachy flavour as I would have liked. So I had it as is with a side of rice, fresh runner beans and a spinach and kale salad. - JW