The contest winner, and a pork recipe

First things first: sorry about the delay, but I put everyone's name in a bowl and randomly drew to select the winner of Blog Like a Caveman. Drumroll please...

Congrats! I will email the winner and post here when the theme for Blog Like a Caveman II is selected. Now, for a recipe.

 

The supermarket was having a great sale on pork tenderloin; specifically, buy 1 get 2 free, so I had three pork tenderloins in my freezer waiting to be used. Most of the recipes I found called for syrups, glazes, sugary juices, or other sweet things. This one is different. Adapted from this recipe, it's stuffed with veggies, nuts, cheese, and other savory goodies. I used pistachios, goat cheese, and sun dried tomatoes in addition to the olives, spinach, and peppers. The one thing I would do differently next time is to combine the filling ingredients thoroughly in a bowl before stuffing the pork, as it ended up having kind of a layered look. I served it with turnip oven fries (turnips cut into french fry shapes and roasted) with Greek seasoning.

STUFFED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SPINACH, PEPPERS, PISTACHIOS, AND GOAT CHEESE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole pork tenderloin
• 6 oz fresh spinach, stemmed, washed, and dried
• 1 whole roasted red bell pepper (I bought the jarred kind), seeded and diced
• 1-2 Tbs julienned sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachio nuts
• Pitted kalamata olives, sliced or chopped
• 1-2 oz soft goat cheese (chevre), crumbled
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Saute the spinach in a bit of olive oil until wilted. Squeeze dry in paper towels or a sieve, chop, and set aside.
3. Cut a slit lengthwise halfway through the pork. Sandwich it between two layers of plastic wrap and flatten it with a meat pounder (I use this one and highly recommend it). Season with salt and pepper.
4. Combine the spinach, tomatoes, pepper, pistachios, olives, and cheese in a bowl. Spread it on the pork in a line across the middle.
5. Roll the pork around the filling and tie with butcher's twine (the butcher will usually give you some for free if you ask).
6. Season the pork with salt and pepper and bake for about 45 minutes or until done. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Posted in: pork,pork/lamb