Pork with Cider Sauce

If you have never cooked with a pork tenderloin be sure and try this recipe. Pork tenderloin is lower in fat than almost any other cut of meat. Since the cut is slender and relatively small, cooking time is fast. You can grill it, broil it or saute it. There is one thing, the tenderloin is not the most flavorful cut. You have to serve it with a great sauce. We eat pork tenderloin alot. There are literally hundreds of ways to cook it. The following is an example of one of the recipes we love to eat. Tederloin does come with a “silverskin muscle” and you must remove it first. Look at
Stuffed Pork Tenderloin posted on May 18th for a picture of this procedure.

This recipe makes 8 medallions and 1/2 cup sauce. It should take about 30 minutes.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 1/2 pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 8 2” thick medallions.

be sure and season with salt before cooking

1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

fresh ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Sear pork 5 minutes on each side or until brown.

Add cider, wine, and vinegar, bring to a boil, cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium and simmer another 5 minutes, turning pork occasionally. Transfer the pork medallions to a plate, season with pepper and tent with foil to keep warm. Simmer liquids until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 8 to 10 minutes, then spoon over pork. The sauce has a sweet apple flavor.

Per 6 oz serving: 277 calories; 13g fat; 87mg sodium; 0g fiber; 35g protein.

I like to serve with greens like the kale described below.

This recipe is for 4 servings (3/4 cups each)

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, slivered

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

12 cups kale or mustard greens, stemmed and chopped (10 oz) You can also use spinach

3/4 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar to taste

salt and pepper

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion, saute for 3 minutes, then stir in garlic and pepper flakes, cook for 1 minute more.