Monday, December 10, 2012

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

OMG I made the most amazing dinner the other night. Whenever I experiment with new recipes, I take pictures of the process in case I want to share them with you, my readers. Sometimes I don't because they just turned out okay (occasionally even really not good at all - we pretend those don't happen). I was recommended to try this recipe for Pork Tenderloin "Rosa di Parma" by a coworker which is a pork tenderloin stuffed with Parmesan cheese and Parma ham. I decided to tweak the recipe a bit. I can't say for the better because I didn't try the original but this, in my opinion, is really, really good.


INGREDIENTS:

-about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of black peppercorns, crushed
-2 to 3 good sized cloves of garlic, minced
-salt, to taste
-2 pork tenderloins (1 to 1 & 1/4 pounds each), trimmed
-6 thin slices Italian Parma ham (Proscuitto di Parma), divided
-1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (or Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese, divided
-3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine garlic and crushed peppercorns in a bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Double butterfly the tenderloins (this is tricky - these instructions are so detailed they're confusing but here they are anyway).


Make two long horizontal cuts, one on each side, dividing the tenderloin into thirds without cutting all the way through. Working with one tenderloin at a time, lay it on a cutting board. Holding the knife blade flat, so it's parallel to the board, make a lengthwise cut into the side of the tenderloin one-third of the way down from the top, stopping short of the opposite edge so that the flaps remained attached. Rotate the tenderloin 180 degrees. Still holding the knife parallel to the cutting board, make a lengthwise cut into the side opposite the original cut, starting two-thirds of the way down from the top of the tenderloin and taking care not to cut all the way through. Open up the 2 cuts so you have a large rectangle of meal. Use the heel of your hand to gently flatten the meat to about 1/2 inch thick.


3. Cover each butterflied tenderloin with 3 slices of the ham, then spread 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese over the ham, leaving a one inch border. Starting with the long side, roll up each tenderloin so the stuffing is in a spiral pattern; then tie the roasts at two inch intervals with kitchen string.


4. Lightly brush the roasts all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, lightly season with salt, then rub with the garlic-peppercorn mixture. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large, heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roasts, bending to fit if necessary. and cook, turning often, until the outsides are browned (3-5 minutes total).


5. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, checking often, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F or for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes.
To serve, remove the string and cut the pork into 1 inch thick slices.



I served ours with broccoli and spaghetti squash.

I'll definitely be saving this recipe to make again!

I'm linking up here.

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