Roast Pork Tenderloin with Prosciutto and Sage

Like its cousin beef tenderloin, pork tenderloin is a boneless, low-fat, high protein cut of meat. Unlike its cousin, however, pork tenderloin is relatively inexpensive and doesn’t come with a “beefy” price tag. Because of its relatively small size and mild flavor, a pork tenderloin cooks quickly and benefits from flavorful spice rubs or fruity sauces. This recipe calls for some of my favorite herbs and thinly sliced prosciutto to flavor the pork. Tying the mini-roasts with butchers twine secures the prosciutto and sage on the roasts and ensures that they cook evenly. You can do a quick sear on a cast iron skillet and then pop the roasts into a hot oven for a few minutes, or skip the sear and go directly to the oven for about 20 minutes. Pork tenderloin cooks quickly so don’t dry it out by over-cooking it. Flavorful, quick, and easy to prepare, combined with veggies of your choice, or a green salad, this simple recipe makes a delicious weeknight dinner for the family, or it can be served as the elegant main course of a more elaborate meal for guests. I hope you like it.

Roast Pork Tenderloin
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium pork tenderloin about 1 pound

• 2 thin slices of prosciutto

• 4 large fresh sage leaves

• 2 cloves of garlic minced or grated to paste with a microplane

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• salt and pepper

• 1 teaspoon ground dried rosemary and ground fennel seed

PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.

1. Rinse the tenderloin and pat it dry with a paper towel. Fold the tapered end of the tenderloin back on itself so you have a more or less uniform thickness of meat about 10 inches long. Cut the tenderloin in half so you have two small roasts approximately the same length and thickness.

2. Rub the mini-roasts with olive oil and garlic paste. Sprinkle lightly with the rosemary/fennel seed spice mixture and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

3. Lay a slice of prosciutto and two sage leaves on each roast. Tie each roast at 1 ½ inch intervals to secure the prosciutto and sage and maintain the form of each roast.

4. Coat the cooking surface of a cast-iron skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the skillet with the roasts in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the roasts reaches 145 F. (Note: if you choose to sear the roasts before placing them in the oven, reduce the roasting time by about 5 minutes.)

5. Remove from the oven and tent for 5 minutes before removing the twine and slicing the meat.

Wine pairing: a medium-bodied red wine, or a fruity white wine with body that will stand up to the richness of the dish.

Ginger Citrus Soy Marinated Pork Tenderloin →

Pork Tenderloin is a tender, delicious, very low fat source of protein if you don’t overcook it. Very easy to make, it takes no more than 15 minutes to prepare the marinade; you can marinate for about 2-3 hours up to 6 hours. The meat is naturally tender, so you don’t need vinegar in the marinade to tenderize it. The result is a delicious caramelized garlic-ginger-citrus flavored tenderloin.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 1/3c. orange marmalade

• 1 lg. garlic clove

• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• ½ teaspoon Chili Sesame oil (optional)

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin

Preparation:

1. Combine the first four ingredients; reserve ¼ cup of marinade for basting.

2. Add pork to the remaining marinade and prick all over.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 or up to 6 hours.

4. Cook over a medium grill (about 375-400 degrees) for about twenty minutes (turning every 5 minutes), or until the thermometer registers 145. (Don’t overcook or the pork will be tough.)

5. Baste with reserved marinade for the last 5 minutes.

6. Remove from grill to a platter and tent for 3-5 minutes.

7. Slice across the grain 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

Serve with rice and grilled veggies, a green salad, or the Asparagus and Tomato Salad on this site.

Wine pairing: a medium-bodied red wine with some fruit-forward like a Merlot or Cotes du Rhone, or try a food-friendly Dry Riesling.

Pork Tenderloin with Apples →

One of my favorite Pork recipes, this easy recipe pairs pork tenderloin, tart Granny Smith apples and onions; cumin, honey and vinegar round out the 5 Tastes. The recipe came to me from my wife’s mother, Jean Fitzpatrick Andrews. Serve with rice, or roasted root vegetables, and green beans or sugar snap peas, garnish with salty, toasted Sage leaves. (optional)

Ingredients:

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1 ¾ lbs)

• 2 medium-size Granny Smith apples

• 3 Tbs. flour

• 1 tsp. cumin

• 1 Tbs. oil

• 4 Tbs. minced onion

• 2 Tbs. red-wine vinegar

• ¼ cup chicken broth

• 2 Tbs. honey

• 1 Tbs. tomato paste

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle tenderloins with salt and pepper and cut into 3-4” pieces

2. Cut apples into quarters; peel and core

3. Blend flour with cumin and dredge tenderloin pieces

4. Heat oil in a heavy skillet and brown pork pieces evenly on all sides. Place the pork pieces on a platter and cover with foil to keep warm

5. Pour off most of the fat in a skillet and add the apples and onion and cook for 3-4 min;

6. Return pork to skillet and add vinegar, broth, honey, and tomato paste and bring mixture to a simmer; cover and cook for 15-20 min.

Serve pork slices with apple-onion sauce.

Philippine Grilled Pork Tenderloin →

This pork dish from the Philippines is delicious and low-fat due to the lean pork tenderloin and small amount of oil in the marinade. The dipping sauce is sour, salty, savory, piquant, and full of umami. You could add “sweet” to this meal by serving a side of colorful sauteed carrots with or without a raspberry glaze achieved by adding a tablespoon or two of raspberry preserves to the carrots while you sautee them in butter.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of pork tenderloin cut into ½ inch thick medallions

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 6 thin slices of ginger minced

• ½ teaspoon sesame oil

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or ¼ teaspoon chili oil)

Preparation:

1. Place the sliced pork in a single layer in a baking dish.

2. Mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and chili flakes and pour over pork slices.

3. Refrigerate and marinate about 4 hours; if necessary flip the slices over after a couple of hours to make sure both sides of the pork slices receive the marinade.

4. Preheat your grill or broiler.

5. Reserve marinade and set aside.

6. If broiling, broil medallions about 7 minutes per side about 4 inches from the flame

7. If grilling, grill over a medium-hot grill for 5 minutes per side; check doneness with an insta-read thermometer. Pork will be “medium-done” at 145 degrees and slightly pink in the middle.

8. While pork is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil in a saucepan and reduce by ¼. Serve as a dipping sauce for the pork.
   

Traditionally served with white rice and vegetables.

Adapted from: Low Fat and Loving It: Ruth Spear, Warner Books, 1991.