At this time of year in our garden, the rhubarb is bursting out of the garden beds. Begging to be turned into all kinds of yumminess. All of the sweet rhubarb treats are of course fantastic, but sometimes I crave a savoury rhubarb dish. Paired up with tart apples, sweet onions, balsamic vinegar and local pork, this recipe hit the spot.
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All About that Veg
The star of this dish is absolutely the stewed veggies. The pork is good, but mostly just an accompaniment to the rhubarb and apples. A lot of healthy eating focuses on filling up your plate with more veg than carbs or meat. So what ends up happening is the meat becomes more like the side dish. I’m not sure why I find that amusing but I do. The other effect that it has is that I get to focus fully on the flavours of the vegetables.
Rhubarb is pretty great paired with a bunch of other vegetables and fruits as well. I would also suggest, if apples are more scarce where you are, try some firm pears. Or if you’re feeling fancy, some plums. Yum!
Beautiful Balsamic
I wanted the sweetness of caramelised onions but wanted to cook everything in one dish. One way I’ve found to give stewed and roasted onions that caramelised flavour is with balsamic vinegar. When balsamic has been roasted it ends up cooking down to a very sweet rich flavour, and allows the veg to get some real colour. If you want to try caramelizing onions and just putting them on top, don’t omit the balsamic from the rhubarb and apples. What I found was that the richness of the vinegar softened and rounded out the tartness of the rhubarb and the apples.
Saucy Sauce
The cooking juices from the roast are not thick on their own, so you’ll need to thicken them after. My absolute favourite way to thicken up a pan sauce is with butter. You pour the roasting juices into a stove safe shallow pan, and get it gently bubbling for a few minutes. Then add a few tablespoons of cold butter and whisk gently but continuously. Soon enough, the water will evaporate out leaving you with a glossy, thick sauce. This is a french technique called Bring to the Butter (Monté aux Beurre). It’s basic enough, but has a fancy name. That’s usually how a fancy restaurant will get you that velvety smooth sauce for your steak.
So get your hands on some fresh rhubarb and try this one out for yourself! Want some more spring recipes? How about this Perfect Spring Pizza, or these French Style Peas!
Pork Tenderloin with Stewed Rhubarb and Apples
Ingredients
- 1 Large Apple chopped into half inch chunks
- 2-3 Rhubarb Stalks chopped into half inch chunks
- 1 Red Onion sliced
- 1/3 cup Chicken Stock
- 2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Rosemary Sprig leaves removed from stalk and diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves finely diced
- 2 Pork Tenderloins Trimmed
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt, pepper, oregano To your tastes.
- 2-3 tbsp Cold Butter cut into chunks
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375F.
- Add your chopped rhubarb, apples, sliced onion, rosemary and garlic to a large roasted pan. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp olive oil, and all the balsamic vinegar. Toss to coat everything evenly.
- Coat the pork tenderloins with the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle generously all over with salt, pepper, and oregano. Lay the tenderloins on top of the veg. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, and cover the pan tightly with foil.
- Cook, covered, for about 25 minutes, or until the pork is firm. Uncover and cook for about 5-8 minutes more, just to get a touch of colour on the pork.
- Remove from the oven. Set the pork aside, covered, to rest.
- Pour off the pan liquid into a frying pan on the stove. Turn it on to a medium heat. Let it come up to a bubble. You want it to bubble for a couple minutes, but you don't want too much of the liquid to disappear.
- Lower the heat to medium low. Add your butter chunks and gently whisk. You want all the butter emulsified into the sauce, and for the sauce to coat the back of a spoon. It should be thick and velvety.
- Slice your pork, and serve topped with the rhubarb, apple, and onion mix. Drizzle with the sauce and enjoy!
LizaLeigh
