HONEY, GARLIC AND SAGE PORK SIRLOIN ROAST

 
There was a time when pork tasted like pork.  It is now so mass-produced and fat-reduced that there is no taste at all.  So why did I bother to buy this roast?  I wish I could intelligently answer that question.  One thing I can say:  My hubby and I are among the silent minority when it comes to meat.  We are very hard to please – which is why we age our own beef.  We want flavor in our meats.
Now that we have that out of the way, I can tell you that this is a good recipe.  I’ve said before that I don’t care for pork in the oven.  It tastes better when it’s done on the grill (to me).  But I did this in the oven.  We did not enjoy our dinner with this roast, but it did make some really good sandwiches the next few days.  I will not be buying another pork sirloin roast.

Honey, Garlic and Sage Pork Sirloin Roast Adapted from Bakespace.com Rating:  8 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. lemon juice 1 garlic clove, grated or minced 1-1/2 Tbsp. fresh sage, minced 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 pork sirloin roast, about 1-1/2 lbs. 1 Tbsp. honey Heat oven to 400F.  Combine oil, juice, garlic, sage and pepper and rub all over meat.  Place meat in pie plate or foil-lined pan.  (I surrounded the meat with veggies, making this a one-pot meal.)  Roast for 30 minutes; remove meat from oven; brush meat with honey.  Return to oven and roast another 10-15 minutes, or till a meat thermometer registers 155F.  Let roast settle about 10-15 minutes before serving.  Refrigerate leftovers.  Yield:  4-6 servings Slice cold pork thinly for sandwiches.  For each sandwich, combine about 1 Tbsp. pesto, 2 tsp. mayonnaise and 3 Tbsp. avocado, mixing well with spoon or fork.  Use as a thick sandwich spread.  Top pork slices with roasted red peppers and shredded lettuce or spinach.

BAKED STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN OVER SAUTEED SPINACH

My usual way of cooking pork tenderloin is on the grill.

Truth be told, it's the only way I've every cooked it. We have a gas grill hooked up to a gas line, so I never have to worry that the tank is empty. I can grill all year round, even in the winter. But I decided to try something new; and, since I couldn't find a recipe that turned me on, I thought I'd wing it.

I'll admit my photo doesn't look great; but the pork was. Here's what surprised me: it tasted more like beef done this way. This was a very tasty meal, and we both enjoyed it. But it was considerably more work than just throwing the tenderloin in a bag with a marinade and grilling it for 20 minutes. And I love, love, love the fresh taste of grilled tenderloin. But for those of you who might want to try this, at least once, here are the instructions:

Baked Stuffed Pork Tenderloin over Sauteed Spinach
Source: Judy's Kitchen
Rating: 8 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: 6 Tbsp. Smart Balance or olive oil, divided use
1/4 cup chopped fennel
1/2 cup quartered, then sliced, onion
1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
1 pork tenderloin
2 big pinches fresh thyme leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided use
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 large garlic clove, grated or minced
4 cups spinach
2 tsp. lemon juice

In medium sized heavy skillet, saute the fennel and onion in 1 Tbsp. SB for about 3 minutes, using medium heat. Cover skillet, turn heat to low setting and let veggies continue to saute for about 20 minutes, or till they begin to caramelize, stirring if needed. Remove cover and cook for a few more minutes if needed, then transfer veggies to a small dish or bowl to cool. Heat another Tbsp. SB in the skillet; when it's sizzling, add the 1/3 cup chopped mushrooms and quickly saute them over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes, or till mushrooms begin to brown. Transfer to the bowl with the other veggies.

Prepare the pork tenderloin. You will need to make two slits to open up the tenderloin. You want to kind of butterfly it. With a sharp knife, cut down one third and open it up.



Now cut down the other third and open it up. It's a good idea to pound it with a meat mallet now to even it out and make it a little thinner.

Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper -- not too much though -- and a few pinches of fresh chopped thyme leaves. Then spread the filling over the meat. Now roll the meat up and tie it with kitchen string to keep it together. Sprinkle the outside of the meat very lightly with salt and pepper and some thyme.

Put 1 Tbsp. of SB in the skillet, heat it to sizzling over medium-high heat, and add the meat. Brown it on all sides, about 10 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup chicken broth over the meat, then transfer to a hot (400F) oven in another pan, or use the same skillet. Cook tenderloin till the center reaches an internal temperature of 160F. Then transfer it to a cutting board and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. It should take 15-20 minutes in the oven to reach the correct temp.

While the roast is in the oven, heat 1 Tbsp. of SB in the same skillet or (if you put that skillet in the oven), in a new skillet. When it is sizzling, add the mushrooms. Saute for several minutes, till the mushrooms begin to brown, then add any of the veggies that wouldn't fit in the meat, 1 tsp. of Balsamic vinegar, about 1/4 tsp. of salt and a big pinch of pepper, and the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Stir up any bits as the mixture bubbles. You can add some white wine now if you want. And if you like your sauces thicker, add a little cornstarch. I left out cornstarch and wine this time. Lower the heat, cover and keep warm.

Right before serving, in another skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. SB over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute quickly, about 30 seconds, then add the spinach and stir quickly till it starts to go limp. Sprinkle it lightly with salt, pepper and lemon juice and put it onto the serving plates. Slice the tenderloin and lay it over the spinach. Pour the mushroom sauce over the tenderloin slices. Yield: 4 servings

One other thing: I was able to pull this meal off using 1 skillet and 1 baking dish. I just kept using the same skillet to cook everything. I transferred the roast to a baking dish for the oven; and I transferred the mushroom sauce to a bowl and kept it warm in the microwave.

BAKED BREADED PORK CHOPS

We don't have pork chops often, but today they looked good in the store, so I bought some. I felt adventuresome, so I experimented. I wanted to bread the pork chops and bake them in the oven, and I wanted some good flavor. In my pantry was a box of Lipton Garlic Mushroom Soup Mix, and I decided to use it. After baking the pork chops for 20 minutes, I added liquid, recovered and baked for another 20 minutes. The flavor of these chops was great, but the added liquid softened the breading. If I make them again, I will just bake them straight through for about 35 minutes and we can always pour a gravy over them if we want. I think they would taste better with a crispy crust and that's the only way to get it. I purposely used part panko in the breadcrumb mixture to get a crispy crust, and then lost it when I added the liquid. They were still delicious and we enjoyed them -- live and learn. If you have mushrooms on hand, they would really be nice added to the gravy or to the pork chops while they bake. I didn't have any except for a few dried ones in the mix. I meant to take a photo, but when the chops got done I was tired and hungry and just completely forgot. Halfway through the chop I remembered, but the plate didn't look as appetizing then, so I decided to let it go. Here's the recipe:

Baked Breaded Pork Chops

2 center-cut thick pork chops
4 tsp. Lipton Garlic Mushroom soup mix (try to keep big pieces of mushrooms out)
1/2 cup biscuit mix or all-purpose flour
1 medium or large egg mixed with 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
1/4 cup Seasoned Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
optional: sliced fresh mushrooms
optional gravy: 1/2 cup water mixed with 1 Tbsp. soup mix

Rinse chops. Pat dry with paper towel. Spread 1 tsp. soup mix on each side of chops. Press the mix onto the chops with your fingers. Dredge chops in biscuit mix or flour, shaking off excess. Dip chops into beaten egg & liquid, then into the breadcrumbs and cheese that have been mixed together. (If you don't have Panko, then just use all Italian bread crumbs mixed with the Parmesan Cheese. You can buy the crumbs with the cheese already in them, but I just like adding my own.) Put 4 Tbsp. oil in large fry pan and heat to medium-high. Add chops and brown about 5 minutes on each side. Check carefully for smoke -- do not burn chops. (If you are adding the mushrooms, put them in the pan with the chops so they can give off their liquid. Otherwise, if you add them to the baking pan, the liquid from the mushrooms will soften the breading.) Put chops in baking dish (for 2 chops, I used a 10-inch deep dish pie plate) sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake in oven, covered with tinfoil, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer registers about 155 degrees. Let chops sit on counter in pan for 5-10 minutes to continue cooking while you get the rest of the dinner ready. When you put chops in oven, prepare optional gravy if desired: Mix water and soup mix in 1 quart pot and cook at a low boil for the time chops cook. If desired, add sliced mushrooms to gravy. Yield: 2 servings
For 4 servings, double everything except the egg/liquid mixture.