The Supermom Chef

Quite a catchy name, don’t ya think? I have yet to meet anyone who doesn’t enjoy a good pork tenderloin. It’s one of the easiest meats in this world to cook, after all. It’s cooks quickly, and is just so tender and juicy. And to top it off, it’s not all that expensive. It’s a little pricier than most cuts of pork, but if you compare it to other meats it’s not bad at all. I like to buy mine in bulk (packages of four) at Sam’s, take those babies home, separate and vaccum seal them, then throw them in the freezer. I can feed my family of five off of just one tenderloin. And they LOVE pork! Everyone wins!

This recipe comes from a long-time friend named Brandon, from back in my home town. He grew up in my sister’s grade in the very small school that we all went to, so everyone knew everyone. I am not sure if his talent for the culinary world was so prominent back then, but it seems now that it is! He has shared several recipes with me and all of them are exceptional! And I love any person that’s willing to share recipes! My family thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m looking forward to having more recipes from Brandon (hint, hint!) to share with all of you.

Now, before you go complaining, I realize this recipe may LOOK very intricate, but trust me it’s not. It comes together very quickly and is not difficult at all. I just made sure to take pictures of every step so that you all could follow along easily. Trust me, just make it…you won’t be sorry!

We start with these

Take out your pork tenderloin and clean that baby up, cut off that silverskin and cut off any visible fat.

Butterfly the tenderloin by cutting midway through the pork tenderloin, from the side. I’m sure there’s a more technical way to explain this, but being just a home cook you’ll have to go by my not-so-easy-to-understand-directions. You’ll end up with something like this.

Top the tenderloin with a piece of plastic wrap, and use a meat mallat to flatten out the pork. You want the pork to end up about the size of a sheet of notebook paper, and about 1/2″ thick.

Sprinkle the pork generously with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Top with a layer of the proscuitto

Followed by a layer of the parmesan cheese (use the real, good stuff…not that sprinkly stuff out of a can)

Roll up, jelly-roll fashion; brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle the outside with salt and more freshly ground black pepper.

Secure with butcher’s twine by wrapping around the pork at about 1″ intervals. I didn’t have any twine on hand, and me being the cheapo that I am wasn’t gonna go buy some just for this so I just secured mine with toothpicks.

In a stainless steel skillet (don’t use nonstick; you want a good sear), sear the pork tenderloin.

Make sure to turn the pork occassionally, you want to give all sides a really good sear. That holds the juices IN the pork, rather than allowing them flow out.

Now pop that little piggy in the oven, and bake at 350 degrees F. I added a little chicken broth to my pan, but that wasn’t directed by Brandon. It’s all in how you like to do things!

Bake until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F.

Now we’re gonna make a pan sauce using these ingredients. If you don’t have these, it’s completely okay! The pork (in my opinon) was absolutely delicious without the pan sauce. But if you DO have the ingredients, the sauce is delicious so give it a try!

Remove the pork to a plate or serving platter, and return the skillet to the stove over medium-high heat. Pour about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth into the pan, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spoon. You want to pick up all those little bits stuck to the pan, that’s where the flavor is! Add a tablespoon or two of butter, and allow that to melt. Then add a tablespoon or two of heavy cream. Allow to simmer for a short while until thickened somewhat.

Return the pork to the pan and allow to sit in the sauce until ready to cut and serve.

And here’s of photo of the pork, showing all of the yummy goodness rolled up inside!

Double P Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin

1 small package prosciutto

1 small chunk fresh parmesan cheese

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup chicken broth (or stock)

1-2 tablespoons butter

olive oil, for brushing pork

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a very sharp knife, clean pork by removing silver skin and cutting away visible fat; butterfly the tenderloin. Top the tenderloin with a small piece of plastic wrap and, using a meat mallat, flatten the pork to about 1/2″ thick. Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper. Top the flattened pork with a layer of prosciutto, followed by a layer of parmesan cheese chunks. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and secure using butcher’s twine around tenderloin at about 1″ intervals. In a large stainless steel skillet (do not use non-stick as you will not get a good sear) over medium-high heat, sear the pork tenderloin on all sides. Place the seared pork in the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 150 F. Remove the pork from the skillet and place on a plate or platter; cover with foil. Using the same skillet over medium-high heat, pour the chicken broth into the pan, scraping the bottom to remove the bits stuck on the bottom (this is called “deglazing” the pan), add the butter and cream. Simmer for a short while, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. Return the pork to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve.