Power trio
Seasoned pork and glazed apples served on a bed of green beans—this recipe is an entire meal in itself.
Photo by Karen Hermann
SERVES 4
This recipe calls for a pork tenderloin which weighs between 1 to 1½ pounds, not to be confused with the pork loin which weighs 6 to 8 pounds. You’ll need to prep the tenderloin the night before by removing the silver skin—and easy process once you know how. For detailed instructions, see my latest how-to video.
Green beans
1 pound whole green beans, trimmed
¼ cup water or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon garlic olive oil, or plain olive oil with 1 small garlic clove, minced
Kosher salt
Black pepper, freshly ground
Glazed apples
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon cardamom or nutmeg
Pinch salt
2 large Granny Smith apples (or your favorite)
Pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pork tenderloin, silver skin removed and sliced crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces
All-purpose seasoning (your favorite)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
In a large skillet over medium heat, add string beans and water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 5 minutes while you start the apples. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated. Toss beans well with garlic olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cover until ready to serve.
In another large skillet over medium heat, add butter, brown sugar, cornstarch, cardamom and salt. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Slice tops and bottoms off apples and discard, and then slice apples crosswise into ½-inch rings. Use a very small cookie/biscuit cutter to quickly remove center seed core. Add apples to skillet, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
In a medium to large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Season pork medallions all over. Add to skillet and cook 5 minutes on each side, or until brown. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Pour off excess oil. To skillet, add onions and cook until wilted and lightly brown. Add vinegar and stock, and stir to dissolve the brown bits in bottom of skillet. Cook until slightly thickened. Add butter and blend well. Return medallions to skillet and coat thoroughly with the sauce. To serve, divide beans among individual plates and top with pork medallions and apple rings.
___
Related stories
Meals in 30 minutes (or less!)—Set your timer and see how easy it can be to put dinner on the table tonight.
Prepping pork tenderloin—Before cooking a pork tenderloin, you’ll need to remove the silver skin membrane. A butcher can do this for you, but it’s also an easy do-it-yourself job. Chef Belinda shows us how it’s done.