Simply Yummy Pork

I've actually had this recipe for a few months, and keep meaning to post it, but as you can tell, I've been neglecting my blog for a while. Somehow real life has been taking up too much of my time! Anyway, I love this meal because it is sooo easy, and sooo quick; the other night, I did all the prep and cooking in less than 45 minutes. Even better, wrapping the tenderloin in prosciutto keeps the pork nice and tender which is great for me since I tend to have a propensity for overcooking pork. Probably the best part is that the kids will eat it!

I found this recipe on Real Simple, and was reminded that I really like that magazine as source for weeknight meals. I always forget about it, and then when I re-discover it, I am so happy I did. The recipe calls for red Bartlett pears, but I've just always used the green ones. I am not sure that it really makes a difference which pears you use -- I've always been happy with the results. Either way, do make sure that you use firm pears so that they don't turn to mush during the roasting process. And, I've used both fresh thyme and dried thyme. If you have the fresh on hand, use it -- but if not, the dried thyme will work too.

Prosciutto-wrapped Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Pears
(courtesy of Real Simple Magazine online)
Serves 4

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled and cut lengthwise into wedges
2 firm red Bartlett pears, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 sprigs of fresh thyme
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 piece of pork tenderloin (about 1 1/4 lbs)
1/4 lb of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 tablespoon of honey

-- Heat oven to 425F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes, pears, thyme, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.
-- Meanwhile wrap the pork in the prosciutto, slightly overlapping the slices to cover the pork completely.
-- Push the vegetables to the sides of the baking sheet, place the pork in the center, and drizzle the pork with honey.
-- Roast until the pork is cooked through, and the pears and potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes. Let pork rest about 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with sweet potatoes and pears.

Chicken Paillard with Lemon and Shallot Sauce Served Two Ways

I threw a dinner party on Saturday night that required a few trips to Whole Foods as well as our neighborhood mom-and-pop grocery store. As a result, I have been unmotivated to see the inside of either place for a couple of days.  Tonight I figured I would slap together whatever I could find in the refrigerator.  I normally have at least one chicken breast in my freezer, and tonight I happend to have two.  I also had some shallot left over from the other night, and about two dozen meyer lemons from my tree in the back yard.   I decided this was enough to make some kind of chicken cutlets and a sauce.  

The organic chicken breasts that I buy are always very thick, and I almost never use them whole.  In most cases, I slice them through the middle -- I am just too impatient to wait for the thick ones to cook.  I am also lazy, so in most cases I won't even pound the chicken breast to create a uniform thickness.  I guess that means that my recipe isn't a true pailliard, but what the hell -- it's my blog, I'll call it what I want.  

Since I essentially made this up as I was going along, the ingredient amounts aren't exact, but are probably a pretty good estimation.  

Chicken Paillard with Lemon and Shallot Sauce

(serves 2-4)

4 chicken breasts, about 1/2 inch thick

2-3 tablespoons canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tablespoons minced shallot 

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt to taste

-- Pat dry chicken breasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper

-- Heat canola oil in skillet over med-high heat

-- When oil is hot, add chicken and sear about 2-3 minutes per side

-- Remove chicken when just opaque, tent with foil, and set aside

-- Reduce heat and add shallot, cooking until soft and fragrant, less than 2 minutes

-- Add butter and let melt

-- Add flour and wisk to incorporate it into butter

-- Add chicken broth, then increase heat to allow sauce to reduce

-- When reduced by almost half, add lemon juice

-- Let reduce a little more, add salt to taste

-- Return chicken to pan to rest in sauce for about a minute 

-- Serve breasts with sauce spooned over top

I served the chicken to my husband and kids with quartered potatoes and peas -- a solid, balanced weeknight meal.  For me, I had some arugula I wanted to use, so I shredded a breast, and served it over a little salad I made with the arugula, thinly sliced red onion, kalamata olives, and thinly shaved slices of parmigiano cheese.  Instead of a dressing, I just drizzed a couple of teaspoons of the sauce over my salad.  The combination of the arugula with the sauce was really tasty.  I think that I will also use this sauce on fish in the future.