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Porcini-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin – Fingerling Potatoes, Cipollini Onions and Salsa Verde

Pork Tenderloin is Perfect for Parties!

Chef David Robertson and his wife Sara run Vancouver’s Dirty Apron Cooking School and are huge supporters of buying local, especially when it comes to meat. Buy yourself some Western Canadian Pork and cook up this amazingly flavourful Pork Tenderloin from the Dirty Apron Cookbook, a perfect dish for entertaining.

Porcini-rubbed Pork Ingredients
1/4 c dried porcini mushrooms, ground to a fine powder
1/4 c brown sugar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
4 pieces of Western Canadian Pork Tenderloin, each 6 oz

Sautéed fingerling potatoes and cipollini onions Ingredients
1/2 lb fingerling potatoes
3 oz green beans, stalk ends trimmed
1 Tbsp vegetable oil 12 cipollini onions
4 oz double-smoked bacon, in 1/4-inch cubes
1/4 sweet red vermouth
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of Italian parsley, chopped

Salsa verde Ingredients
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1 Tbsp baby capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
2 anchovy fillets, very finely chopped
1/2 c Italian parsley leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp mint leaves, washed and roughly chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 c extra-virgin olive oil
red wine vinegar, to taste

Method

Porcini-rubbed pork:
In a small bowl, stir together the porcini powder, brown sugar, olive oil and red pepper flakes until well combined. Rub the mixture over the pork tenderloins, using as much as possible to coat the meat evenly. Place the pork in a large bowl and refrigerate, covered, for 12 to 24 hours.

Preheat a grill to high heat. Remove the pork from the bowl, brushing off the excess marinade, and season with salt and pepper. Place the pork on the grill and cook, turning every few minutes, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare, or longer if you prefer your meat medium or well done. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Fingerling potatoes and cipollini onions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes, or until a small knife goes through to the centre. Drain the potatoes and cut into thick round slices. Set aside.

Fill a bowl with ice and cold water. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat, add the green beans and cook for about 2 minutes, until tender but not cooked through. Transfer the beans to the ice bath to stop the cooking, then drain and set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and bacon and cook slowly until both are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, green beans, Cinzano and vinegar and cook until the liquid coats the vegetables, about 1 minute. Finish with extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Salsa verde:
Chop the garlic with a little pinch of salt until you reach a paste-like consistency. Place the garlic, capers and anchovies in a small bowl. Add the parsley, mint and Dijon mustard and stir well to combine. Slowly add the olive oil in a contin- uous stream, using a whisk to combine the salsa. Season with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

To serve
Divide the potatoes and green beans among individual plates. Place slices of pork on top and finish with the salsa verde. Garnish with a sprig of parsley.