Not Always Good to be the Guest of Honor

When I was a child, my brother and I would fly back to Ohio to spend time with each set of grandparents. On my mother’s side, she has an aunt and uncle that owned a fruit farm. We would always find our way there to pick some strawberries for shortcake, or just hang out on the farm playing the with animals. While the farm had a variety of fruits, their bread and butter crop was often apples. They had acres and acres of apple trees that you could easily get lost in.

One summer, they were getting ready to have a hog roast, and being a farm they had selected one of their own stock to be the guest of honor. They asked if we wanted to watch then kill and dress the pig. Being a suburbian boy, I decided that I would not likely get that chance again, so decided to watch. The act was somewhat shocking to me, but I received a good reminder that food does not get created at the grocery store; it starts right there on the farm. I still count that as one of the unique experiences in my life (unique for me anyway). This recipe below brings our friend the pig and that apple farm together in a very different way.

This was delicious. The combination of apples and pork just really go well together.

The recipe calls for a tenderloin sliced up. I had a few thin pork chops that I decided to use instead.

Frying up the chops.

Heating up the apples and sauce.

Yum!

Pork Tenderloin with Apples

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pork tenderloin, cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Riesling wine
• 2 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork tenderloin halves with salt and pepper to taste, then cook in the hot oil until evenly browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Place the pork onto a plate, cover with two layers of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes.

2. While the pork is resting, pour the wine into the pan; bring to a simmer while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 2 minutes, then add the apples, chicken stock, vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Cook and stir until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir cornstarch mixture into the simmering sauce to thicken. Cook and stir 1 minute more until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy.

3. Slice the pork tenderloin into 1/4 inch thick slices, and arrange on a serving platter. Pour the apple sauce over meat to serve.

Nutritional Info:

NutritionAmount Per Serving (4 total) Calories 213 cal 11% Fat 6.3 g 10% Carbs 13.2 g 4% Protein 17.9 g 36% Cholesterol 49 mg 16% Sodium 225 mg 9% See More Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/170876/pork-tenderloin-with-apples-2