Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms with Tomato Salsa Verde

Fit for Company, Heirloom Pork

Stuffing this lean cut of pork with mushrooms adds elegance as well as flavor and juiciness. Look for an heirloom breed, such as Berkshire, Duroc, Tamworth, or Gloucestershire Old Spot, or pampered pork from your local farmers’ market. These tenderloins are even better cooked indirectly on a grill (grill-roasting).

SERVES: 6

PORCINI STUFFING RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound fresh porcini mushrooms, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1- to 1¼-pound pork tenderloins
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• Tomato Salsa Verde (recipe follows)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.

• STUFFING
• In a bowl, toss the mushrooms with the garlic, sage, thyme, oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
• Spread the mushroom mixture and all the oil in a roasting pan and roast for 5 minutes.
• Stir and roast for 5 minutes more, or until the mushrooms are soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 450°F.

• TO BUTTERFLY THE TENDERLOINS
• Make a deep lengthwise cut down the center of one, being careful not to cut all the way through.
• Open up the meat like a book and place it between 2 pieces of plastic wrap.
• Pound the tenderloin with a mallet until it is about ¼ inch thick.
• Repeat with the other tenderloin.
• Spread a layer of mushrooms over each tenderloin, leaving at least a 1-inch border all around.
• With a long side toward you, roll up the meat to enclose the filling.
• Tie the tenderloins at 2-inch intervals with butcher’s twine.

• COMBINE THE THYME,SAGE,SALT AND PEPPER IN A SMALL BOWEL
• Rub the mixture all over the tenderloins.

• HEAT THE OIL IN A LARGE HEAVY OVENPROOF SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT
• Sear the tenderloins on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total.
• Transfer to the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
• Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer: When it reaches 135° to 140°F, the meat is done.
• If not done, continue roasting, checking the temperature every 5 minutes.
• Transfer the meat to a platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
• Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

• Remove the strings and carve the meat into 1-inch-thick slices.
• Serve with Tomato Salsa Verde.

ALTERNATIVE CUTS:

• Pork cutlets from the leg or boneless sirloin, cut or pounded to ¼ inch thick, or 1-inch-thick boneless pork chops, pounded to a thickness of ¼ inch.
• Stuff with the mushrooms, form into packets, and tie with string.

COOK’S NOTES:

• Instead of fresh porcini, you can substitute an equal amount of cremini mushrooms, portobellos, or shiitakes.
• If you are using shiitakes, be sure to remove and discard the tough stems.
• Instead of butterflying the tenderloins, you can sandwich the mushrooms between the 2 tenderloins, matching the tail of one opposite the thicker head of the other, then tie them together to make a double tenderloin roast.
• Tie the roast with several loops of butcher’s twine.
• Halve the porcini stuffing recipe for this method.