This sounds like a hearty dish and it is! Pork tenderloin is a very different cut of pork to pork loin. It is lean and very tender and full of flavour. The trick to making sure your pork tenderloin remains tender is to sear it before roasting it in the oven, this traps in all the juices and flavour. Two tenderloins is generally too much for two people and would be better suited to three or you could take the left over pork to work the next day to have with a salad. It’s delicious hot or cold.

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Ingredients

Pork

2 pork tenderloins
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt freshly ground black pepper to season
1 heaped tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

Braised Red Cabbage

1/4-1/2 red cabbage (depending on the size) finely sliced
1 medium sized leek, finely sliced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of fennel seeds, bruised with a mortar and pestle
3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock

Cauliflower Mash

1 medium sized head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 generous tablespoons of blue butter or plain butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

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Method

Pork

Take your pork tenderloins out of the fridge so they come to to room temperature before cooking

Preheat the oven to 200C

Trim away any remnants of tough fascia on the tenderloin with a sharp knife.

Pat the tenderloin dry with some paper towel

Rub tenderloins all over with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large fry pan over medium heat. Sear tenderloins until they are evenly browned all over. This should take around 12 minutes. transfer the pork to a platter and set aside. Reserve the pan juices as you will be using the same pan to cook the braised cabbage

In a small bowl combine Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fresh thyme

With a pastry brush generously brush mustard mixture all over tenderloins

Place tenderloins in a roasting dish and roast for a further 15 minutes

To check that they are cooked, insert a knife into the thickest part of the tenderloin, juices should run clear

Remove from the oven and cover loosely with foil, allow to rest for around 10 minutes

After resting slice diagonally and serve with braised red cabbage and leek

Braised Red Cabbage & Leeks

Finely slice red cabbage and leek

Heat a little olive oil in same fry pan you used to sear the pork, add garlic and fennel seeds and heat until garlic is translucent

Add red cabbage and leek, stir through so it becomes coated in the oil, fennel and garlic

Add balsamic vinegar and chicken stock, cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, checking and stirring every so often. Add more stock if needed

After 20 minutes remove the lid and allow the liquid to evaporate

Cauliflower

Cut your cauliflower up into florets

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add cauliflower, simmer until cauliflower is tender

Drain the cauliflower fully, the less moisture left in the cauliflower the better

Place cauliflower florets in a food processor and process on high until finely mashed and creamy

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté garlic until the aroma is released

Heat cauliflower in the saucepan, stir through the oil and garlic

Add in blue cheese butter and stir through thoroughly as it melts

Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bon Appetite!