I MADE THE BEST DINNER LAST NIGHT

The Menu

Pork Tenderloin Fricassee

White Bean and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

We were pretty much trapped in the house all day long yesterday because of the weather so I decided to make a nice dinner.  We did venture out for a trip to the grocery store, but I had most everything that I needed on hand. All of my meat always comes from Haw River Ranch, a local farm owned by my friend Suzanne Nelson.  I buy meat in bulk from Suzanne and keep it in the freezer so I have meat whenever I need it. Read about Haw River Ranch here.

I coated the tenderloin with thyme, salt and pepper and seared it in butter and olive oil, then added it back into a rich sauce made with the drippings from searing.

After roasting in the oven for about 20 minutes, the tenderloin is topped with sauteed mushrooms.  The recipe called for cremini mushrooms, but the grocery store was wiped out and we took what we could get.

The finished pork tenderloin.  It made the house smell so good and was the perfect meal for a cold winter night.  Comfort food at its best!

Again for the salad, the grocery store was out of some of the ingredients called for in the recipe, so I improvised a little!  I crisped prosciutto in a skillet and made a dressing with white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, rosemary and olive oil.  Very simple, but delicious.

The finished salad, with prosciutto and white beans.  Some walnuts would also be nice in this salad.

I had a little helper who made it so much fun!

Pork Tenderloin Fricassee

2 (1-1/2 pound) pork tenderloins

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used cup-4-cup flour to make it gluten free)

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Juice of 1/2 lemon

8 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and cut in half

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Season the pork all over with the thyme and salt and pepper.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil (I used about 2 tablespoons of each because my dutch oven was large) in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot.  Add the pork and cook until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, carrot and celery to the same pan and saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the flour and cook stirring, about 2 minutes more.

Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the brown bits.  Cook until the liquid thickens slightly, about 1 minute.  Add the broth and mustard and stir to combine, bringing to a low boil.

Return the pork and any liquid that has collected on the plate to the skillet.  Spoon the sauce over each pork loin and place in the oven to roast, basting with the sauce several times while cooking, 15 to 20 minutes.  Test for doneness with an internal thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the loin; when ready, it should read 145 degrees (for medium).  The pork will continue to cook while resting.

Remove the pork from the sauce and cover loosely with foil to keep warm as it rests before slicing, about 10 minutes.

While the pork is resting, stir the cream, parsley and lemon juice into the sauce and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Heat the remaining butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until sizzling hot and add the mushrooms.  Saute stirring often, until golden around the edges, about 3 minutes.  Return the pork to the sauce, spread the mushrooms over the top and serve warm with the sauce spooned over and around.

Salad with White Beans and Crispy Prosciutto

1 ounce prosciutto, thinly sliced

1 (15-1/2 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 large handfuls mixed baby greens (the sturdier greens are better here)

Rosemary Vinaigrette

Combine 1/3 cup white wine vinegar, grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 1 teaspoon ground paprika in a small bowl and stir to mix.  Add 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream until all is incorporated.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

The Pork Tenderloin recipe was adapted from Sarah Foster's Foster's Market Favorites.

I also used a dutch oven from Le Creuset, it is heavy and oven proof which is necessary in this recipe.  A deep cast iron skillet would also work well.