Anne’s In the Kitchen:
Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Orzo, Spinach, and Mushrooms
As we finally arrive at Spring, and we think of getting people together, I look for fabulous dishes that are easy on me (I have recovered from elaborate experimental multi-course company meals where every course is one I subject my victim guests to.) This dish is truly a one-pan easy meal, and it is rich and sumptuous! It will serve 4 easily, so if you want to double it you can, or you can save the other pork tenderloin for another creative dish I’ll quickly share with you after the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
1 cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
1 cup fresh baby spinach (I like more), chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (could be some wild like shitake, to take it up a notch)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I would be tempted to use fresh garlic minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season pork medallions with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook the pork for 3-4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside on a warmed plate.
In the same skillet, add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Add orzo and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook until orzo is tender, about 8 minutes (how cool is this—one pan to wash!)
Stir in heavy cream and spinach, cooking for 1-2 minutes until spinach wilts.
Return pork to the skillet and heat through. Serve immediately.
Now: what to do with the other pork tenderloin:
Cut the tenderloin into thick cutlets (maybe 3 or 4) and make a pocket in each cutlet. Season them well with salt and pepper and any other seasonings that you like, and (one of many possibilities) stuff the pocket with a good bleu cheese and some dried cherries. If you want to tuck in some rosemary or thyme. Or you could stuff the pocket with mozzarella cheese and sliced cherry or sundried tomatoes you’ve soaked for a bit, now with oregano and thyme. Or use a bread stuffing. And/or wild mushrooms. Get crazy!
Cook on the oiled grill on high heat for a VERY SHORT TIME so the meat is slightly pink. Use an instant-read thermometer so you know you have reached 145 degrees F. in the center of the cutlets. This is an instant off-the-grill main dish at a low cost.
Also, on another note, many of us are beginning to more earnestly seek ways to keep a manageable food budget; and I believe pork is now more inexpensive than chicken is. I know there are free-range chickens (I at least look for antibiotic-free), and I know there are free-range pigs, but nobody has made that designation much of a shopper’s marketing promotion. Pork tenderloin is such an easy success at a great price.
Additionally, I think it is time to turn back to Meatless Mondays. A short time ago I shared a recipe for Tuna Cakes (equally good with canned salmon). Other possibilities: using canned cannellini or garbanzo beans with maybe a bit of cheese and vegetables makes for a great dinner salad, especially with creamy lemon vinaigrette, also one of our monthly recipes. I buy Seviroli raviolis at Costco, and they are truly as good as raviolis can get. Well. . . I just found Mushroom Truffle Raviolis at Trader Joe’s, and what a sumptuous dish they are! Meanwhile, try this delicious pork tenderloin recipe.
Creamy Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Orzo, Spinach, and Mushrooms
As we finally arrive at Spring, and we think of getting people together, I look for fabulous dishes that are easy on me (I have recovered from elaborate experimental multi-course company meals where every course is one I subject my victim guests to.) This dish is truly a one-pan easy meal, and it is rich and sumptuous! It will serve 4 easily, so if you want to double it you can, or you can save the other pork tenderloin for another creative dish I’ll quickly share with you after the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
1 cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
1 cup fresh baby spinach (I like more), chopped
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (could be some wild like shitake, to take it up a notch)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I would be tempted to use fresh garlic minced)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season pork medallions with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Cook the pork for 3-4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside on a warmed plate.
In the same skillet, add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes. Add orzo and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook until orzo is tender, about 8 minutes (how cool is this—one pan to wash!)
Stir in heavy cream and spinach, cooking for 1-2 minutes until spinach wilts.
Return pork to the skillet and heat through. Serve immediately.
Now: what to do with the other pork tenderloin:
Cut the tenderloin into thick cutlets (maybe 3 or 4) and make a pocket in each cutlet. Season them well with salt and pepper and any other seasonings that you like, and (one of many possibilities) stuff the pocket with a good bleu cheese and some dried cherries. If you want to tuck in some rosemary or thyme. Or you could stuff the pocket with mozzarella cheese and sliced cherry or sundried tomatoes you’ve soaked for a bit, now with oregano and thyme. Or use a bread stuffing. And/or wild mushrooms. Get crazy!
Cook on the oiled grill on high heat for a VERY SHORT TIME so the meat is slightly pink. Use an instant-read thermometer so you know you have reached 145 degrees F. in the center of the cutlets. This is an instant off-the-grill main dish at a low cost.
Also, on another note, many of us are beginning to more earnestly seek ways to keep a manageable food budget; and I believe pork is now more inexpensive than chicken is. I know there are free-range chickens (I at least look for antibiotic-free), and I know there are free-range pigs, but nobody has made that designation much of a shopper’s marketing promotion. Pork tenderloin is such an easy success at a great price.
Additionally, I think it is time to turn back to Meatless Mondays. A short time ago I shared a recipe for Tuna Cakes (equally good with canned salmon). Other possibilities: using canned cannellini or garbanzo beans with maybe a bit of cheese and vegetables makes for a great dinner salad, especially with creamy lemon vinaigrette, also one of our monthly recipes. I buy Seviroli raviolis at Costco, and they are truly as good as raviolis can get. Well. . . I just found Mushroom Truffle Raviolis at Trader Joe’s, and what a sumptuous dish they are! Meanwhile, try this delicious pork tenderloin recipe.
