Apple-Fennel Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Judy and I watched an episode of Rachel Ray the other day and caught this great looking recipe. We just had to try it tonight.

Judy prepared all the dressing, the potato salad, and the coleslaw, while I did the work on the tenderloins. Here is the way it is supposed to go:

• Salt
• 1 package pork tenderloins (2 tenderloins)
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus extra for drizzling
• 1 small fennel bulb, cored and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 firm apple, we used Gala, peeled, cored and sliced
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.

Trim the tenderloins of silver skin and butterfly them by cutting in and across – but not all the way through – the loins.

Cover them with plastic and pound them out to 1/4-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the fennel, onion, garlic and apple, season with salt, pepper and sauté until soft, 7-8 minutes. Add the apple juice to the pan along with the breadcrumbs and mix thoroughly to form a stuffing.

Divide the fennel-apple stuffing between the two tenderloins and spread into an even layer, leaving about an inch of the meat uncovered on either side.

Roll the tenderloins up like a jelly roll and place them seam side down on a sheet tray. Lightly drizzle some EVOO down over the tenderloins and season them with salt and pepper (use generously…ours needed more salt). Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes, until the meat has browned.

Wash your hands after handling the pork. Then sit back and have Yuengling or two!

When the meat comes out of the oven, cover it with a piece of foil and let it rest for 10 minutes to allow the juices to settle.

To serve, slice the tenderloins and divide among four plates, or if there are just two of you, freeze one of the tenderloins for later.

Judy made coleslaw and potato salad for sides…man was it all good!

If you want to follow her recipe more closely, click here for the link.

QUICK MEAL – STIR-FRIED PORK CHOP

Yes, I finally did a little cooking this week, but it was out of necessity…Ms. Mushy refused to cook!

I found two leftover pork chops, a bag of frozen vegetables, some peanuts, and an onion – no problem!

Stir-frying makes anything taste good, even leftovers!

I simply cubed up the pork chops, and sat them aside.

I opened a Yuengling, poured it into a frosty glass, and continued to slave hard over a hot stove.

I put on two servings of brown rice, cooked it until all the water was soaked up, and sat that aside.

I cut up the sweet onion and turned on the heat under a skillet that had a little olive oil, some chopped garlic and some hot sauce in it. When the garlic began to dance I dumped in the bag of frozen vegetables, added salt and pepper, and tossed them until they began to thaw. I then dumped in the fresh onion, the peanuts, and the pork chop cubes.

In about 8 minutes, I had a wonderful meal ready to eat!

Cooking is not hard…it is fun and half the pleasure in it is the freedom of creativity you have. Most anything you can imagine will taste good cooked in olive oil and garlic! Even a man can do it!