Pork tenderloin with Celery – Greek Hirino me Selino

So this is another Greek dish that I have been craving lately. My mother is visiting so we went together grocery shopping. I had a few dishes in mind for my next post, this being one of them. When I found some really nice pork tenderloin, I decided upon it. This is a hearty, meaty stew recipe to put on your table, all the better if it’s a cold winter’s day 🙂 . Now this dish is traditionally made with pork shoulder or leg. However, pork tenderloin is a great cut too. It’s full of flavour, cooks quickly and most of all has 3.5 g of fat per 100 g (abt 3 oz) of meat. That’s as much fat content as in chicken breast! Hello, are you with me? As fatty as a chicken breast. So what are you waiting for?

 

First of all, you start by cooking your tenderloins (I used 2 here). So you wash them and pat them dry. Grind some salt and pepper on all sides. In a Dutch oven drizzle just a bit of olive oil and add a teaspoon of mustard. Mix a little and set your heat to high-medium. Saute the tenderloins for around 7-8 mins, until they have a golden brown color. Put them aside.

 

Add one more tbsp of olive oil and saute the onions for 2 min, add the celery and leeks and keep sauteing for about 10 min. You want them to soften up just a bit. At this point add 3 cups of hot water. Let it cook for 2-3 min more. Then you add the tenderloins and the rest of the olive oil. The meat will cook quickly and should be ready in about 20-25 min over medium heat. Don’t overcook it because this specific cut can become hard. Also, I added some nice fresh scallions 10 min before the food was done.

 

Be sure you check the food’s seasoning and adjust the salt and pepper. I serve this dish with plain rice so I like it saucy. but not too watery. If you want to thicken it up, use cornflour. In a small bowl dilute one tsp corn flour with 2-3 tbsp of water, mix well and add in the pot while still cooking. Stir immediately and check the consistency of your sauce. This dish goes also well with baked potato wedges.

Pork tenderloin with celery

This is a Greek stew like recipe with aromatic celery, leeks and delicate pork tenderloin. It is delicious and guilt-free as pork tenderloin has very low fat content.

  • 1 kg (2 lbs 3 oz) pork Tenderloin
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 450 g (1 lb) celery (roughly chopped)
  • 200 g (7 oz ) leeks (sliced)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (keep 2 tbsp for sauteing)
  • 1 tsp mustard
  1. Start by cooking your tenderloins. Wash and pat dry. Grind some salt and pepper on all sides. In a Dutch oven drizzle just a bit of olive oil and add a teaspoon of mustard. Saute the tenderloins for around 7-8 mins, until they have a golden brown color. Put them aside.

  2. Add one more tbsp of olive oil and saute the onions for 2 min.

  3. Add the celery and leeks and keep sauteing for about 10 min. At this point add 3 cups of hot water and cook for 2-3 min.

  4. Add the tenderloins and the rest of the olive oil. Cook for about 20-25 min over medium heat. Serve with rice or baked potatoes

  5. If using fresh scallions, add them in 10 min before food is ready.

Seabream with peas and dill

Cooking for two was the idea behind this recipe. So I thought something light, healthy and simple to put together. I found some really nice seabream. If you are in the US you can use snapper or seabass.  I love fresh fish with vegetables and fresh dill. Dill my friends is an herb that I highly recommend for fish. It gives a fresh and slightly lemony finish with a hint of anise. It goes hand in hand with the delicate texture of fish. I also had some fresh peas in the fridge… and some gorgeous carrots. By the way, peas, carrots and dill make the perfect veggie side at your dinner table. But that’s a recipe I’ll have to delve into another time.

For the seabream, you can ask your fishmonger to clean the fish. Heads off, descaled and belly cleaned. Now take your fish and wash it thoroughly. Set aside. Put some olive oil in a baking tray and add the carrots, peas, pepper and spring onions. Sprinkle with chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir so the olive oil blends in well. Remember to leave some veggies on the side for stuffing in the fish. Because the fish cooks very quickly, we will give our vegetables a headstart. Stick the tray in the oven for 20 mins at 180 C / 350 F.

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Now its time for the fish.  Grab the veggies you set aside and the onion and stuff them inside the belly of the fish as much as you can.  Use a toothpick to close the vegetables inside the fish.  Insert the toothpick across both outer ends of the fish belly. Push the skin so that it tucks in as much as possible. This way that the vegetables are stuffed nice and tight inside.

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Check your vegetables.  When you think they need another 20-25 mins take the tray out. Place the fish on top and sprinkle with some more dill. At this point if the liquid in your food looks like it’s diminishing a lot, please add a cup of hot water. It’s nice to have a bit of liquid (full of flavor and aromas!) at the end. It goes well on the fish and brings a lot of flavor to your dish. Put your tray back in the oven and cook for another 20-25 mins at 180 C / 350 F. The fish does cook fairly quickly, but cooking times vary from oven to oven. You want to make sure to cook it thoroughly. To check that, try peeling of the big bone in the middle, does it come off easily? Yes? It’s done! If it sticks a little to the meat the fish needs more time.

I find this recipe delicious, let me know how it works for you 🙂

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Serves 2

Time:10 mins preparation, 40 mins cooking

INGREDIENTS

1200 g / 2 lbs 10 oz  Seabream, 2 fish heads off, descaled and belly cleaned (US substitute  Snapper or Seabass)

1/2 bunch dill

3 carrots

5 spring onions

1 red bell pepper

200 g / 7 oz fresh peas

extra virgin olive oil

1 cup hot water

2 toothpicks

 

DIRECTIONS 

Take your fish and wash it thoroughly. Set aside.

Put some olive oil in a baking tray and add the carrots, peas, pepper and spring onions. Sprinkle with chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir so the olive oil blends in well. Leave some veggies on the side for stuffing the fish. Stick the tray in the oven and cook 20 mins at 180 C / 350 F.

To prepare the fish grab the veggies you set aside and the onion and stuff them inside the belly of the fish as much as you can.  Use a toothpick to close the vegetables inside the fish.  Insert the toothpick across both outer ends of the fish belly. Push the skin so that it tucks in as much as possible. Salt and pepper on top.

When you think they need another 20-25 mins take the tray out. Place the fish on top and sprinkle with some more dill. If there is just a little liquid in the tray, add a cup of hot water.

Put your tray back in the oven and cook for another 20-25 mins at 180 C / 350 F or until fish is thoroughly cooked. To check if the fish is cooked, try peeling of the big bone in the middle, if it comes off easily, its done! If it sticks a little to the meat the fish needs more time.

Enjoy.