Thursday, March 8, 2012

Apple and Fennel Roasted Pork Tenderloin


If you watch cooking shows, they cook w/ fennel a lot.  I had no idea what one ever looked like, much less tasted like.  

It looks like the above and tastes a little like licorice-but in a good way.  I hate licorice, but I actually like fennel a lot. It's also fun to buy something that looks like a plant and it will confuse your children.


I first made this years ago and had to search but I found the original recipe here 
Serves: 4 Preparation time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
2 large sweet-tart apples, such as Fuji or Braeburn (I used Granny Smith), 
sliced 1 large bulb fennel, trimmed, cored and thinly sliced, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fronds for garnish (b/c they are oh-so-pretty)
1 large red onion, sliced 
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed 
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 
3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Preparation1. Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 475°F.
2. Toss apples, sliced fennel and onion with 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Spread out on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the lower oven rack, stirring twice, until tender and golden, 30 to 35 minutes.


3. About 10 minutes after the apple mixture goes into the oven, sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the pork on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn the pork over and transfer the pan to the top oven rack*. Roast until just barely pink in the center and an instant-read thermometer registers 145°F, 12 to 14 minutes.
4. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Immediately stir vinegar into the pan (be careful, the handle will be hot), scraping up any browned bits, then add to the apple mixture. Thinly slice the pork; serve with the apple mixture and sprinkle with fennel fronds.
Enjoy!
Nutrition FactsPer serving: 279 calories10 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono)74 mg cholesterol23 g carbohydrates25 g protein5 g fiber371 mg sodium837 mg potassium
Nutritional bonus: selenium (47% Daily Value), vitamin C (25% DV), potassium (24% DV), zinc (20% DV)


*I just transfered it to a cookie sheet b/c I don't own a skillet.


It's a yummy comfort food kind of meal and it will make you feel like a Top Chef.


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1 comment:

  1. mmmm. I love cooking with apples, good for so much more than pie! Thanks for the recipe, pinned it

    ReplyDelete