Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Polenta

Now, this meal is based of something similar that I saw on Good Deal with Dave Lieberman. So far, I think I like that show. I’ve tried the Mexican Mac & Cheese and recently saw a meatloaf that I may try and make this weekend when we are all cold and rainy again. Besides, he doesn’t seem too annoying and that’s always a good thing in a TV chef.

Rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil are pretty much all there is to the pork tenderloin. For fun, I made a maple and balsamic sauce to drizzle over the top. It was very good. Originally, the tenderloin was paired with a mushroom risotto — I chose instead to make wild mushroom polenta, which I really like as an accompaniment to pork. The nice part about using dried, wild mushrooms is being able to use the soaking liquid for the polenta. It’s funny — I never really used dried mushrooms very much until jwa nade me that wonderful birthday dinner in February. Now, all I want to do is add dried porcinis to things.

I picked up a pork tenderloin at Trader Joes specifically for this recipe and the rosemary came from the three foot tall (and four foot wide) rosemary plant in the front of the house.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Wild Mushroom Polenta
1 (1 1/2 to 2-pound) pork tenderloin
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish
1/2 white onion, sliced

Rub the tenderloin with oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary — laugh a bit like Beavis if you must, I understand. Here, I’ll join you: “huh-huh-huh-huh-huh”. Now, cover with plastic wrap (or put in a food storage bag) and let marinate for about 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat an ovenproof pan up over high heat and sear the pork on all sides, in a little more olive oil. Add onion slices and put the whole pan in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until pork has reached a temperature of 145 degrees. Remove pork and onions from pan. Cover loosely with foil and let rest 5-10 minutes. When ready to serve, slice the pork on a bias, so that you can fan the slices out around the polenta.

Maple Balsamic Sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp chopped rosemary

Add the balsamic to the pan and return it to the heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that cling to the pan. Stir in the mustard, maple syrup, and chicken broth, along with any juices from the pork chops that have accumulated on the platter. Cook over high heat until the mixture is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste. Does this look familiar? Well, I can’t help that it’s a very good sauce with pork.

Wild Mushroom Polenta
1 oz dried wild mushrooms
1 cup polenta
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt & pepper

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then pour over dried mushrooms. Let them soak for about 15 minutes. Reserve soaking liquid — combine one cup of that with the chicken broth. Chop the rehydrated mushrooms and set aside.

Heat the mushroom liquid/broth, milk and minced garlic, bring to a boil. Whisk in polenta and reduce heat to low. Stir frequently, as it cooks, about 30-40 minutes. If it gets too thick, you can whisk in more chicken or mushroom broth.

When the polenta is cooked and all creamy, add the chopped, wild mushrooms and the Parmesan. Stir to combine and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the hot polenta with the 3-4 slices of pork arranged on the side, drizzled with the maple-balsamic sauce. Add a sprig of rosemary to the polenta as a garnish, along with some of the onions scattered around the plate. I really liked the flavor of this dish — the mushrooms and their broth really give the polenta a rich, Earthy flavor.

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Friday: Strawberry + Black Pepper Tart for Two!