Stuffed Pork Loin with Mushroom Dressing

A lot has happened since my post last September. Sit down and let me tell you the whirl wind story of the last 7 or 8 months. My last post, Simple Rosotto with Bacon and Peas for One, was on September 18, 2010. At that time Brian and I were making the final plans for our wedding on September 25. The wedding went off without a hitch and was beautiful if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, when we got back to Austin, my boss at the time told me he could no longer afford my web and PR services and I was let go after only about three months.

Unemployment is really quite sad. Fortunately, though I was only unemployed for about a month. I started working at BancVue, a company that provides products for community banks to help them take on the mega banks, as a Front End Web Developer.

I know what you’re probably thinking, “What was the point of going to culinary school?” Believe me, I’ve asked myself that many times since graduation. The way I see it, culinary school was an incredible experience. The most important thing it taught me is what I am, personally, capable of accomplishing.

Culinary school was not a cake walk by any means (no pun intended). At times I went to work at 4AM and got home at midnight (I slept in my car a lot), I was under-nourished and lost probably about 20 pounds during school, I got food poisoning which feels like it lasts for weeks, and I sport so many burn and cut scars someone might mistakenly think I’ve been abused. I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer nor do I wish to discourage a prospective student from fulfilling their dream. I expected culinary school to be hard work but I could never have predicted the experience that I had, and what I am most proud of is that I still finished even after all of that. I suffered through all of the wounds, sickness and exhaustion and am now more self assured and confident that I can accomplish whatever I attempt.

I feel like the timing of my unemployment was perfect because it made me realize that a job as a cook was not going to be sufficient for starting a family, which I now realize is what is most important to me. BancVue found me at the perfect moment and I absolutely love my job. I am also happy to announce that Brian and I have started our little family! I’m now 26 weeks pregnant, and am due on September 6th! It’s pretty crazy that our son will born before our first anniversary, but I’m so happy I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since we’re expecting we’ve decided this is the best time if any for Brian to go back to school. I had my turn, now it’s his. His classes at Austin Community College started today, so I wanted to make something delicious for him for dinner. This stuffed pork loin recipe is adapted from one that I learned in culinary school, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Note: Dice all of your vegetables first but keep the recipes separated. Remember 2 Tbs. = 1 oz.

For Pork Loin:

• 1 Pork tenderloin, boneless trimmed
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 C. onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped + 2 whole cloves
• 1 carrot, rough chop
• 1 celery stalk, rough chop
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled diced
• 3 tbs prunes pitted, minced
• 2 oz. red wine
• 1 C. vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Note: I bought a regular boneless pork tenderloin. two tenderloins come in the package. I cut each loin into two even pieces, so I end up with four easy to handle pieces, and freeze them separately. Since I’m only serving two people two pieces is enough.

1. Preheat oven to 350º & allow prunes to soak in wine. Sweat onion in butter, season with salt. Add garlic and apple, season with sugar and pepper. Add prunes, reserve wine.  Saute until apples are al dente, taste for seasoning, remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Make a small slit in one end of tenderloin. Push index finger (or knife steel if loin is longer) through slit to other end of tenderloin making a pocket for the stuffing. When stuffing is cool enough to handle stuff loin tightly as stuffing will shrink and truss the loin. Season all sides of meat with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a medium sized sauce pan (that can transfer to oven) to medium high, sear all sides of meat in pan. Remove meat, add celery, carrot and 2 cloves garlic to pan, replace meat on top of vegetables and bake in oven until internal temp. of meat is 145º.  Remove pan, allow meat to rest on plate covered with foil, leave vegetables in pan.
4. For sauce, heat same pan to medium high, deglaze pan with red wine, add vegetable stock allow to reduce to nape consistency, add any juices collected in plate with meat. Monter au buerre. keep sauce warm on low heat so it doesn’t reduce too far. After meat has rested slice and serve, sauce under (sauce goes on plate not on top of meat. Sauce under for dry heat cooking; sauce over for wet heat cooking such as braising)

For Mushroom Dressing:

Note: Start your mushroom dressing while the loin bakes. Pop into oven when loin comes out, while you make the sauce.

• 1 1/2 C. white or brown mushrooms, trimmed, diced
• 1 C. onion, small dice
• 1/2 C. celery, small dice
• 1 tsp garlic, miced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp parsley, fine chop
• 1 tbs butter
• 3 slices wheat bread, crust trimmed, large dice, toasted
• as needed vegetable stock
• kosher salt
• black pepper

1. Sweat onion & celery  in saute pan, season with salt and pepper. Add garlic. Add mushrooms and toasted bread cubes. Taste for seasoning, adjust if needed. Moisten with vegetable stock.
2. Pop into oven while you make sauce.