Yummy Umami Pork

Menu Note:

• This is my variation of a recipe I found on MyRecipes.com. I used to cook pork chops with a mushroom sauce but the tenderloin is a sweeter, tenderer, and less fatty cut.

The Ingredients:

Alii mushrooms  (Pleurotus eryngii)

• 1 pork tenderloin, weighing approximately 450 g (or 1 lb)
• 30 ml (or 2 Tbsp) of cooking grade olive oil
• salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 225 g (or ½ lb) of mushrooms
• 60 ml (or ¼ cup) of cooking sherry
• 120 ml (or  ½ cup) of chicken broth
• 55 g (or 2 oz) of goat cheese

The Method:

1. Place 15 ml (or 1 Tbsp) of olive oil in a small roasting pan, or any pan that will hold the tenderloin and can go from oven to stovetop. Place the oiled pan in the oven.
2. Heat the oven to 235°C (or 425°F).
3. Lightly salt and pepper the tenderloin on all sides.
4. Peel and press or finely dice the garlic cloves.
5. Chop the mushrooms into bite-size pieces.
6. When the oven reaches target temperature, take out the pan, swirl to distribute the oil, and place the tenderloin in it.
7. Roast the tenderloin for 20 minutes at 235°C (or 425°F), turning it once after 10 minutes.
8. Remove the pan from the oven and place the tenderloin on a rack or board to drain and cool slightly.

9. Add 15 ml (or 1 Tbsp) of olive oil to the pan and place on the stovetop on medium-high.
10. Add the mushrooms to and stir fry until they absorb the oil and begin to brown.
11. Add the garlic and saute briefly.
12. Add the sherry to the pan and cook, stirring, until it is almost evaporated.
13. Add the chicken broth and cook until it is reduced to a thin film of liquid on the bottom of the pan.
14. Turn the heat to low and add the goat cheese. Stir to melt the cheese and mix it with the reduced broth.
15. Cut the tenderloin into slices, and arrange the sauce on top.