Pork Tenderloin with Juniper Berries, Sage and Garlic Potatoes with Green Beans

Pork with Juniper Berries

One of my favorite aspects about being home for several weeknights in a row is that I get to make nice dinners.  I scour my various cooking magazine subscriptions in the evenings and try to pick something I think Bri would love to come home to the next night.  Tonight’s offering from Saveur is absolutely amazing.  It’s a super flavorful Italian dish from the Umbria Region.  It’s a little complicated, but well worth it.

I’m on a continued quest to lose weight so I made severe adjustments to the amount of oil used.  We couldn’t tell the difference.

FILETO di MAIALE con BACCHE di GINEPRO (Pork with Juniper Berries)

For the Potatoes

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 large russet potatoes
• 12 oz green beans, washed and trimmed
• 1 ½ Tbsp minced sage
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Pork

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 4 oz pancetta
• 1 1 lb pork tenderloin
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp juniper berries
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock

1. Make the potatoes: Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high.  Cook potatoes until golden, 10-12 minutes.  Stir in green beans, sage garlic, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to medium; cook covered until potatoes are tender, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl ; keep warm
2. Make the pork:  Wipe skillet clean and heat olive oil over medium-high.  Cook pancetta until crisp, 2-3 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.  Season pork with salt and pepper; cook, turning as needed until browned, 8-10 minutes.  Add junior berries, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.  Add wine; stirring and scraping up browned bits from bottom of skillet, until evaporated, 12-15 minutes.  Add stock; boil.  Reduce heat to medium; cook, slightly covered until an instant read thermometer inserted into pork reads 145 degrees F.  Let pork rest 5 minutes, then slice ½” thick; divide between plates.  Simmer sauce until thickened, 10-12 minutes.  Discard herbs and stir in reserved pancetta, salt pepper; spoon over pork.  Service with potatoes and green beans.

Pan Bagnat

Pan Bagnat

Working in the Richmond District of San Francisco, one of my favorite places to go for lunch is Cafe Rigolo.  The French do lunch (and really, all food) so well, it’s hard not to turn to a little French bistro for lunch to remind you that there’s beauty in the world.  It always makes things better.  Every time I go to Cafe Rigolo, I order the same sandwich, so when I saw a version of it on Food 52, it seemed like a sign.  I had to make it.  I’m so glad I did.  This is one of the best things we’ve made in a long time.  So light and delicious and wonderful.  We served it for dinner with a broccoli kale soup (which I’ll be posting in a minute).  It’s one of those things that you make where you plan when you’re going to make it again while you’re eating it.  Sooooooo GOOD!  Good company and a glass of chardonnay knocks it out of the park!

• 1/2 loaf crusty French baguette (being San Franciscans, we used a sourdough baguette to great effect)
• 1 clove garlic, cut in half
• 4-6 basil leaves
• 1 (6oz) can tuna
• 3/4 cups Nicoise or Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 jar or can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup blanched French green beans, sliced into thirds (optional)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. PREP THE BREAD: Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the insides of the bottom half to create a trough into which the filling will go. Brush both halves with a little extra virgin olive oil. Rub each with the garlic. Line the half with the trough with the basil leaves. Then mince the garlic and sprinkle it over the bread.
2. MIX THE SALAD: In a mixing bowl, combine the tuna, olives, red bell pepper, onion, parsley, artichoke hearts (if using) and green beans (if using). In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the lemon juice into the olive oil until it is emulsified/combined. Pour the vinaigrette into the tuna mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
3. ASSEMBLE: Spoon tuna mixture into the trough of the baguette over the basil leaves.