SAM ON THE RADIO:
Cooking to Beat the Clock on A Chef's Table

Pork Tender :
Sautéed Pork Medallions with 
Sweet Potatoes and Apples

One of my favorite low-fat meats is something I never had as a kid, pork tenderloin. In our house it was pork chops, pork roast or pork spareribs, but never tenderloins. They just didn’t seem to exist.

Now we see pork tenderloins all over the place. Supermarkets not only have them in the meat case but also in the prepared food section already soaking in a teriyaki marinade or some other seasoning mix. Why the big turnaround? In response to consumer demand, pork has become much leaner. Pork became so lean that pork producers audaciously started calling pork “the other white meat.” And the leanest part of the pig is the tenderloin. A trimmed portion of pork tenderloin has less fat and calories than the same amount of skinless dark chicken meat.

Equally important is the convenience of pork tenderloin. My friend Bruce Aidells, in The Complete Meat Cookbook calls pork tenderloin “the perfect cut for the small family” because this cylinder of meat is easy to handle and cooks quickly. It also lends itself to a variety of seasonings. I like fennel, rosemary, thyme, sage, ginger, cumin, coriander, garlic, and soy sauce to name a few.

Unlike beef tenderloins, pork tenderloins are rather small, generally weighing from 11 to 20 ounces and they usually come two in a pack. I normally figure on about six ounces of meat per person.

Pork tenderloins can be roasted, broiled or grilled whole or cut into medallions, pounded thin, and sautéed like veal, as in the following recipe for Sautéed Pork Medallions with Sweet Potatoes and Apples.  They can also be cut into cubes for a quick stew or into strips and pan roasted for fajitas or tacos. Like beef tenderloins, pork tenderloins taper at one end. So if you’re roasting the whole tenderloin it’s a good idea to roll up the thin end and secure it with a toothpick to make the thickness more uniform for even cooking.

Pork tenderloin is particularly susceptible to overcooking because there is little fat to keep it moist. So it should be pinkish inside or it will be dry as cardboard. Most people are wary of pink pork because of fears of trichinosis. But these days trichinosis from commercial pork is virtually non existent. I cook pork to an internal temperature of no more than 150 degrees. (The trichinosis parasite is killed at 137 degrees.)

Sweet potatoes and apples are great seasonal accompaniments to pork as we head into colder weather. I use both in this recipe.

Sautéed Pork Medallions with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

Two sweet potatoes, about 12 ounces each
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Salt 
Two pork tenderloins, about 12 ounces each
1 teaspoon ground coriander 
1 teaspoon ground fennel 
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium to large tart apple
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup off-dry Riesling, Chenin Blanc or Gewürztraminer (hard or sweet cider may be substituted)
1/3 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken stock

1) Put a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Peel the sweet potatoes, quarter them lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-to-1/2- wide pieces. Put half the butter and half the oil into the pan and add the potatoes. Season with salt, cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.

2)Meanwhile, cut the tenderloins crosswise into 1-inch wide rounds. Put the rounds between sheets of wax paper or foil and pound them to half of their original thickness. Put another skillet, large enough to hold the pork in one layer, over medium heat. Combine the coriander and fennel with salt and pepper to taste. Season the medallions with this mixture Put the remaining butter and oil into the skillet, raise the heat to high, and add the pork. Cook for 5 minutes (turning once) or until the meat is pale pink inside.

3)While the pork cooks, cut the apple into ½ inch cubes. (Do not peel). Add the apple and ginger to the sweet potatoes. Stir well and cook just until the sweet potatoes are done, about 3 minutes.

4)Remove the medallions to a platter when done. Pour off the fat from the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce the liquid over high heat until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.  Pour over the medallions and serve with the sweet potatoes.

Serves 4

Per serving: 483 calories, 38 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams fat, 6.3 grams saturated fat, 124 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium.