Pork Tenderloin stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Red Pepper
Pork tenderloin is a lean meat that cooks fast, which is why it so often comes out dry. Butterflying it and filling the inside can help minimize the problem. Spinach and feta will keep the meat moist while red pepper and garlic add the kick. A dish with a beautiful and elegant presentation.
Ingredients
- Carrots
- 1 ½ lb (680 g) carrots
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Pork Tenderloin
- 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 ¼ lb (570 g) to 1 ½ (680 g)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, for browning the pork
- Kitchen twine, for tying the pork
- Stuffing
- 10 oz (280 g) fresh baby spinach, though stems snipped of
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 4 Tbsp finely minced fresh red pepper or roasted jarred red pepper
- 4 oz (115 g) feta, crumbled
- Black pepper
- Pan Sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- Chicken stock, as needed
Preparation
Carrots
Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Peel the carrots and cut them into 2-inch (5 cm) lengths, then quarter each segment lengthwise. Toss them in a bowl with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt and pepper until they are evenly coated.
Spread the carrots on the baking sheet in a single layer and roast on the middle racket for 20 to 30 minutes, until the edges are browned and the pieces give when pressed. Set them aside. They will be rewarmed at the end.
Stuffing
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the minced red pepper and cook for 2 minutes, until the garlic and the pepper has softened.
Add the spinach by the handfuls and cook until it has wilted, about 3 minutes. Tip it into a sieve and press out as much liquid as you can. Let it cool.
Combine the spinach mixture with the crumbled feta and season with black pepper. Go easy on the salt, as feta cheese is salty.
Pork
Butterfly the tenderloin. Cut lengthwise down the center, stopping short of cutting all the way through, and open it like a book. Cover it with plastic wrap and pound it to an even thickness of about half an inch. Season inside and outside with salt and pepper.
Spread the stuffing over the meat, leaving a half inch border along the edges. Fold the tenderloin closed and tie it with kitchen twine at intervals of about 1 ½ inches (4 cm). Make sure that filling does not squeeze out of the center. Any excess stuffing needs to be tucked inside or removed. Tie tenderloin snugly, do not strangle it.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the tenderloin for 5 minutes on each side, turning it so all sides take on color.
If your skillet handle is not oven proof wrap it in aluminum foil. Transfer the skillet to the middle shelf of the oven. Roast for 15 to 17 minutes, depending on the size of the tenderloin, or until a meat thermometer pushed into the center registers 145°F/63°C.
Move the pork to a board and tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat instead of running out onto the board. In the mean time reheat the carrots.
Cut the twine away and slice the tenderloin with a sharp knife into about 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick rounds.
Sauce and Serving
Set the skillet with the roasting juices over medium heat. Pour in the white wine and scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble until it has reduced a bit. If the sauce is too thick loosen it with chicken stock.
Notes
The pork. A whole tenderloin of about 1 ¼ lbs (570 g) to 1 ½ lbs (680 g) makes 4 servings, with a slice or two left over.
The spinach. Squeeze the spinach well. Wet spinach will make for a filling that will run off at the seams.
Red pepper. Jarred roasted red peppers, drained and patted dry, can be used. They are softer and sweeter.
The twine. Tie it snugly. A twine that is too tight forces the filling out during roasting.
Resting is not optional. Slicing the tenderloin straight from the oven will result that the juices end up on the board. Ten minutes under foil is the difference between moist pork and dry pork.
Leftovers. Cold slices keep for 3 days in the refrigerator and are worth planning for. Served over salad greens with boiled potatoes, cherry tomatoes, radishes and an anchovy lemon vinaigrette, they make a second meal that is better than most first ones.
