Pork tenderloin with asparagus
Pork tenderloin with green asparagus in a light cream sauce is the perfect meat dish for spring. The recipe is truly simple and can be served in a variety of ways.
Preparation time: 1 hour Number of servings: about 1200 g In 100 g of dish: Energy value 228 kcal Carbohydrates 4 g - Including sugars 2 g Protein 17 g Fats 16 g Diet: low-sugar, low-carbohydrate, high-protein.
- 1 large pork tenderloin or 2 small ones 650 g
- young green asparagus 1 bunch - 500 g
- whipping cream 30% - room temperature 200 ml
- olive oil 4 tablespoons
- 3 cloves of garlic
- freshly squeezed lemon juice 3 tablespoons
- dried oregano and sweet paprika (1 level teaspoon each)
- salt and pepper, half a level teaspoon each
- a large pinch of chili powder
Pork tenderloin with asparagus
Before preparing the recipe, I encourage you to read the entire post first. It includes many interesting tips on ingredients and their substitutes.
Remove any veins and fibers from a large pork tenderloin (or two small ones). Thinly slice the meat across the grain, then mix with a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a level teaspoon of freshly ground pepper (white or black), and half a teaspoon of salt. Set the tenderloin aside on the counter for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Tip: You can prepare veal tenderloin in exactly the same way. Instead of salt, you can use 3 teaspoons of soy sauce. You can substitute some of the oregano with thyme.
Gently wash a bunch of young, green asparagus under cold, running water. Be careful with the spears, as they are very delicate and may break. Hold the end of each spear and snap off the woody ends. You can do this with your hands. The asparagus will break naturally where the edible part begins. Prepare all the asparagus this way. Pat them dry on a paper towel and cut each into bite-sized pieces. Leave the "heads" intact. I ended up with about 370 grams of chopped asparagus. In a pot, bring a liter of water or broth of your choice to a boil. Add the asparagus pieces and cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes, then immediately remove and set aside on a separate plate.
Tip: Don't throw away the broth. It's suitable as a base for most vegetable soups and creamy asparagus soups.
Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add about four tablespoons of olive oil or 40 grams of clarified butter. After a while, add the whole sliced tenderloin. Cook for 10 minutes over a fairly high heat, constantly separating the meat slices with kitchen tongs. The tenderloin should turn gray. After this time, add three peeled and sliced garlic cloves to the pan. Reduce the heat to slightly lower than medium and stir the contents of the pan.
No later than two minutes after adding the garlic, reduce the heat and pour 200 ml of 30% whipping cream (18% whipping cream for soups and sauces) into the pan. Add the pre-cooked asparagus pieces. Add a level teaspoon of sweet paprika, a generous pinch at a time. Mix everything together and squeeze in 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Stir the contents of the pan.
Once the sauce begins to simmer, remove the pan from the heat and check the flavor. Add more pepper, salt, or soy sauce if necessary, or wait a moment.
Tips: You can also replace the lemon juice with about two tablespoons of small capers from the brine, or add about 50 grams of finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes with oil to the pan. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can use just 100 grams of cream, then finish with another 50-100 grams of mascarpone and grate about 20-40 grams of Parmesan cheese directly into the pan.
The dish can be served with parsley, cilantro, or mint. I served my asparagus tenderloin with mashed potatoes sprinkled with dill. They also taste great with various pastas, grains, rice, or fresh bread.
Enjoy your meal.
