Dried Cranberry, Nut & Bulgur Wheat-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Savoury Pan Gravy

This dish does take time, you’ll be glad though that you took the time to create it for your future husband! It’s really a unique blend of different flavours, the flavour profile is complex and decadent. Your taste buds and fiancé will both thank you.

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Yields1 Serving
 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed
 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
 ½ cup chopped celery, (1-2 stalks)
 1 apple, such as Golden Delicious (or Gala, Braeburn, Honeycrisp), peeled and chopped
 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 extra sprig
 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
 1 cup bulgur, rinsed
 1 ½ cup sodium-reduced chicken broth
 1 bay leaf
 1/3 cup dried cranberries
 1/3 cup apple juice
 1/3 cup chopped cashews, toasted and then coarsely chopped
 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Gravy:
 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted, your call)
 1 garlic clove, minced
 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 1/2 cup apple juice
 1-2 cups sodium-reduced chicken stock
 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

2

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 minutes 5 Minutes. Add apple, chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple is beginning to soften, about 2 minutes 2 Minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon and allspice; cook, stirring, for 1 minute 1 Minute.

3

Add bulgur and stir for a few seconds to cover with flavours. Add broth, bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the bulgur is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes 15 Minutes.

4

Meanwhile, combine dried cranberries and apple juice in a small saucepan and simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat. Set aside to plump.

5

Toast cashews in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes 2 Minutes. Coarsely chop cashews. When the bulgur is ready, discard the bay leaf. Add the cranberries, toasted nuts, parsley and season salt and pepper; fluff with a fork. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Rinse out the skillet.

6

Place four 12-inch (30 cm) lengths of kitchen string (or whatever string you have) equally spaced under pork. Spread the bulgur stuffing mixture in the centre of the pork, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Starting at the edge of the ‘long side’, pull up the pork to enclose the filling. To keep the stuffing from falling out during roasting, fold in about 1 inch of the two short ends (if you can). Tie kitchen string firmly around the pork and secure the ends. Lightly brush the roast with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

7

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and brown the pork on all sides, about 4 minutes 4 Minutes total. Transfer the roast to a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 145-150°F, about 15-20 minutes 15 Minutes. Tent with foil and let rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes 5 Minutes (the temperature will rise 5 degrees).

Prepare the Gravy:
8

Return the roasting pan to the stovetop over a medium-high heat. Melt butter, sauté garlic until just browned. Make a roux - add flour to the pan drippings and scrape up all the brown flavour from the pan.

9

As the roux cooks, it will turn a darker brown colour (this takes about 5 minutes 5 Minutes. The flour will become fragrant, you will smell it baking - almost like shortbread cookies!

10

Slowly add your apple juice and stir constantly to avoid lumps forming. Slowly add 1 cup of the stock and stir until smooth. Bring to a slight boil and cook until thickened and reduced (about 8 minutes 8 Minutes), season to taste. It will continue to thicken after you turn off the heat. If you like a thinner gravy, add the additional cup of stock.

11

Remove from the heat and whisk in mustard. Slice the pork into 1-inch thick pieces and serve with the savoury pan gravy.

To butterfly the pork tenderloin:
Lay it on a large cutting board. Holding the knife blade flat and parallel to the board, make a lengthwise cut through the center of the meat, stopping short of the opposite edge so that the tenderloin remains in one piece. Open as you would a book. Cover with plastic wrap. With a meat mallet, pound the pork to an even 1/4-inch thickness.


Gourmet Safari Rating Scales

Kitchen Confidence Rating Scale:

We’ve designed a handy ‘from the heart’ kitchen confidence rating scale for you to guide you through the recipes (yep, we think of everything)!
= Everyday deliciously simple. Pretty quick, just get the food on the table pronto!
= Put your heart into it! Takes a little more time ‘n TLC!
= Go the extra mile! Gourmet – takes time and/or special ingredients and/or technique – worth the extra effort for the impressive WOW factor!
= You walk on water! You must be a Chef!


Budget Rating Scale:

We’ve designed a handy budget rating scale for you to guide you (and your wallet) through the recipes. Recipes are graded from the ‘high-end caviar-type budget’ to the ‘lower-end spam canned meat type-budget’.
= Spam (aka low budget)
= Mac ‘n Cheese (aka mid budget)
= Filet Mignon (aka higher budget)
= Caviar (aka expensive…but you’re worth it!)

Ingredients

 2 pork tenderloins, trimmed
 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon
 1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped
 ½ cup chopped celery, (1-2 stalks)
 1 apple, such as Golden Delicious (or Gala, Braeburn, Honeycrisp), peeled and chopped
 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 extra sprig
 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
 1 cup bulgur, rinsed
 1 ½ cup sodium-reduced chicken broth
 1 bay leaf
 1/3 cup dried cranberries
 1/3 cup apple juice
 1/3 cup chopped cashews, toasted and then coarsely chopped
 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
 Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Gravy:
 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted, your call)
 1 garlic clove, minced
 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
 1/2 cup apple juice
 1-2 cups sodium-reduced chicken stock
 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).

2

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 minutes 5 Minutes. Add apple, chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apple is beginning to soften, about 2 minutes 2 Minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon and allspice; cook, stirring, for 1 minute 1 Minute.

3

Add bulgur and stir for a few seconds to cover with flavours. Add broth, bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the bulgur is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes 15 Minutes.

4

Meanwhile, combine dried cranberries and apple juice in a small saucepan and simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat. Set aside to plump.

5

Toast cashews in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light golden and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes 2 Minutes. Coarsely chop cashews. When the bulgur is ready, discard the bay leaf. Add the cranberries, toasted nuts, parsley and season salt and pepper; fluff with a fork. Transfer the mixture to a bowl to cool. Rinse out the skillet.

6

Place four 12-inch (30 cm) lengths of kitchen string (or whatever string you have) equally spaced under pork. Spread the bulgur stuffing mixture in the centre of the pork, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Starting at the edge of the ‘long side’, pull up the pork to enclose the filling. To keep the stuffing from falling out during roasting, fold in about 1 inch of the two short ends (if you can). Tie kitchen string firmly around the pork and secure the ends. Lightly brush the roast with 1 teaspoon oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

7

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and brown the pork on all sides, about 4 minutes 4 Minutes total. Transfer the roast to a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast until the internal temperature reaches 145-150°F, about 15-20 minutes 15 Minutes. Tent with foil and let rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes 5 Minutes (the temperature will rise 5 degrees).

Prepare the Gravy:
8

Return the roasting pan to the stovetop over a medium-high heat. Melt butter, sauté garlic until just browned. Make a roux - add flour to the pan drippings and scrape up all the brown flavour from the pan.

9

As the roux cooks, it will turn a darker brown colour (this takes about 5 minutes 5 Minutes. The flour will become fragrant, you will smell it baking - almost like shortbread cookies!

10

Slowly add your apple juice and stir constantly to avoid lumps forming. Slowly add 1 cup of the stock and stir until smooth. Bring to a slight boil and cook until thickened and reduced (about 8 minutes 8 Minutes), season to taste. It will continue to thicken after you turn off the heat. If you like a thinner gravy, add the additional cup of stock.

11

Remove from the heat and whisk in mustard. Slice the pork into 1-inch thick pieces and serve with the savoury pan gravy.

Notes

Dried Cranberry, Nut & Bulgur Wheat-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Savoury Pan Gravy

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