While I was visiting my folks over the Thanksgiving Holiday, my mom gave me a copy of a recipe she wanted me to try from her Traditional Home Magazine. The dish that caught her eye was a Tuscan Pork Recipe from Joanne Weir – I’ve recently learned that Joanne has a series of cooking classes, DVD, and a blog – you can find out more about Joanne at http://www.joanneweir.com.
Those that know me, as well as those that are following this blog know that I can’t just follow a recipe, without adding my own touch. Sometimes they turn out really great, other times (think turkey meatloaf) they don’t, but that is part of the fun of experimenting in the kitchen. It beats blowing up the school chemistry lab – that’s another story.
Anyway, here is the modified version of Joanne’s recipe. After preparing the Tuscan Pork, I had to accompany the dish with my grandmothers, I.E. Modified Taglia. You may recall me posting this recipe for Tegame di verdure arrosto (AKA Taglia) while back. So, after a bit of creative license, hence the title, I have a moderately modified version of an otherwise great recipe.
Ingredients
1 pound pork tenderloin
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 crusty baguette loaf (about 14 inches long and 4 inches wide)
After trimming the silver skin from the tenderloin, I used the bowl I coated my potatoes from the Taglia, to coat the tenderloin. There remained some oil and bit of fresh rosemary and garlic, so I was a happy camper.
I then added the sage, dried rosemary, kosher salt, pepper, and fennel seed to my spice grinder, and created a dust storm. I then coated the tenderloin with ½ of the powder and heated 1 tablespoon of my olive oil in large skillet as instructed until hot. Following the recipe, I added the tenderloin to the skillet, and cooked the pork 8 to 10 minutes or until evenly browned on all sides.
I then removed the tenderloin from the skillet and cooled slightly. I then rubbed enough of the remaining powder to cover the surface – I did not use all of the powder, but saved what was left for another future use, and then set the loin aside.
One thing to be aware of, is that the loin came in 2 pieces, and having either a long baguette or 2 baguettes long enough for the tenderloin is good to know up front. Fortunately, Whole Foods had a Sour Dough baguette that I was able to cut horizontally to house the loin.
I removed the softer bread from inside baguette in order to form a thin shell. I emulsified the garlic and remaining olive oil and brushed the baguette shell with the olive oil. If you are planning to make the Taglia mentioned in this post, you can always use the breading inside the baguette. That too is another story…
Once the baguette was coated, I placed the tenderloin inside, enclosing pork. I then tied at 2-inch intervals of cooking string along the length of the baguette.
The last step was to place the baguette on a baking sheet and bake, uncovered, at 425°F for 10 – 15 minutes. The original recipe called for 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes, but since I was already roasting the Taglia at 425° I had to adjust the temperature a bit until my instant-read thermometer inserted about 160°F, when I placed it in the thickest part of the loin.
After resting for 10 minutes, until the Taglia was ready, the Tuscan Pork Loin in the Sour Dough Baguette was ready to slice & serve.
We actually had 6 servings.
Until Then!
