Tuscan Pork Tenderloin

Well this one is one of those that I was supposed to make, and I'm glad D was home to do it, because I would have given myself food poisoning (I cook by instructions, not by thought or common sense).  He said the pork was vastly underdone according to CL's directions.

As for crust...if herbs make a crust, ok. If they were thinking something else, not sure.

Now onto the review of the food...the pork was good once cooked for the right amount of time (25 or 30 minutes...I wasn't paying attention).  I really liked the endive. The shallots were good the initial night, but not as leftovers (note: I don't like onions or anything resembling onions if I can taste "onion." The initial dinner they tasted caramelized, the lunch the next day...not so much.  But the endive was good.  I think our fennel needed to be fresher because I wasn't aware there was any one there...I liked the taste of the rosemary and lemon.

Overall I would have again.  We had with broccoli and rice.

Tuscan Pork Tenderloin


Roasting a small cut, such as pork tenderloin, at high heat--500°--creates a browned exterior and moist interior. (Cooking at lower temperatures will still produce fine results, but the pork won't develop a crust by the time it reaches the desired internal temperature.) The endive and shallots form an edible rack for the meat to rest on as it cooks.

Yield:  4 servings (serving size: 3 pork slices and about 3/4 cup vegetables)

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
5 large shallots, halved
3 heads Belgian endive, quartered lengthwise (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin

1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, shallots, and endive in a roasting pan; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables evenly down the center of the pan.
3. Combine remaining 1 teaspoon oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl. Rub rosemary mixture onto pork. Arrange pork on top of vegetables. Bake at 500° for 17 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Let vegetables and pork stand 10 minutes. Cut pork crosswise into 12 slices.

CALORIES 238 (33% from fat); FAT 8.6g (sat 2g,mono 5.1g,poly 1g); IRON 2.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 74mg; CALCIUM 55mg; CARBOHYDRATE 14.4g; SODIUM 537mg; PROTEIN 26.3g; FIBER 4.2g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2008