Wisdom of the Elders - Pork Tenderloin in Elderberry Sauce

I mentioned that I had something special planned for a few of the Elderberries I picked last week.  So I dug out my "super secret squirrel" cookbook and thumbed through the pages until I found what I was looking for.  It's been awhile since I have indulged in this sort of dinner time decadence.  But it was well worth the wait. 

I use this Herb Seared Pork Tenderloin Recipe a lot; alone as well as with several sauces.  One of my favorites is a Huckleberry sauce, but I am going to focus on the Elderberries this time. It's a lightly tart yet robust sauce that also works well on Venison too.  In fact, it's utterly AWESOME on Venison... Alas, I must make due with Pork Tenderloin, as Venison is a little beyond my reach right now.

To accompany this dish, I would suggest roasted golden beets.

Herb Seared Pork Tenderloin in Elderberry Sauce

Printable Recipe
1 Pork Tenderloin (approximately 1.25 lbs)
1 TB Dried Lemon Thyme
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Zest of 1 Lemon
Olive oil

Remove the silver-skin from the tenderloin then dry it with a paper towel.

In a small bowl, combine the Lemon Thyme, Rosemary, Granulated Garlic, Salt, Pepper and Lemon Zest; tossing to mix well.

Rub the Pork Tenderloin with Olive oil.

Rub the Tenderloin with the herb mixture.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the elderberry sauce.

After chilling the tenderloin, begin heating olive oil in an oven proof pan over medium flame and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the Tenderloin and sear on all sides.

Move the Tenderloin, pan and all, to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees.

Remove from oven and tent with foil for 10 minutes to allow the tenderloin to continue cooking (it should reach 165).

Slice into medallions with a carving knife and serve with the warm Elderberrry sauce, below.

Elderberry Sauce

1/2 cup Pinot Noir
1 cup Elderberries, divided
2 shallots, minced
1 TB Red Wine Vinegar
1 clove Garlic, minced
6 oz Demi-Glace
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 TB Butter
1/2 tsp Lemon Thyme

Place Pinot Noir, 1/2 cup of the Elderberrries, Shallot, Red Wine Vinegar & Garlic in a small sauce pan, simmer over low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup.

Strain sauce, then return to the pan.

Add the Demi-Glace and the remaining 1/2 cup of Elderberries.

Simmer over low heat until reduced to 3/4 cup.
Finish the sauce by whisking in the Butter and the Lemon Thyme.

Serve over sliced tenderloin medallions.

Mangia!!
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Oh, in case you were curious....

This is my personal cookbook... 

Filled with all sorts of "stuff" and "things"  ;)

Stay Hungry!

When Strep Attacks, He Brews a Cure - Matzo Ball Soup

So much for my earlier statements regarding how little I have been sick since moving back to Oregon. Evidently the microbial world decided I was being a little to self-assured and decided to send over the "Zsa Zsa Gabore" flu to smack me around a little. It backhanded me so hard that somewhere in the midst of my 103.7 temperature, I even contracted strep throat on top of it. Oye!

When I contract strep it NEVER pretty; my tonsils swell so bad that the infection moves into the muscles in my jaw and it locks shut. Yeah, it's a lovely place to be in. Not only can I not swallow, but I can't even get my teeth open far enough to drink without dribbling down your chin. Thank God for straws.

Even after the strep is gone, the jaw muscle problem lingers on for another 3 - 4 days. I have a regime that I usually follow, cause the doctors are worthless in this case. They always give me horse pill sized antibiotics, at which point I want to go a little Zsa Zsa on them myself.

Which part of "I cannot swallow OR open my jaw" are they not getting?

Now I am not going to go into the Echinacea blend tincture or any of that, cause I am not a Naturopath. I cannot ethically recommend that someone not see their doctor nor can I prescribe something of this nature. It just seems to work for me, and it's liquid... so it's awesome. I CAN however recommend a dietary "supplement" that will help keep you hydrated, be easy on your stomach and, more importantly, you'll be able to swallow it. LOL

Matzo Ball Soup!

Soft and fluffy matzo dumplings floating in a sea of chicken stock. Yep, that it the ticket. I don't recommend chicken noodle for strep, simply because the starchy pasta can actually cause swallowing issues, and lets face it, you don't want to have to swallow chunks of chicken... Very painful. Save the chicken noodle for flues and colds. Strep requires all things soft.

Yes, I know there are boxed mixes available, but I am gonna give you the proportions for making it from scratch. OK, not totally from scratch, cause I don't have a setup for making my own matzo. And if I am sick I am not going to be able to keep pace with the 18 minute rule. So I just buy the Matzo sheets and keep them on hand just in case; and Lord knows as much as I make risotto, I always have chicken or vegetable stock on hand, so it's always a "no trip to the grocery store" type of dish. In case you are curious as to what else I might use matzo for - I also use it as breading on fish, it crisp and light, with a fine smooth texture.

Matzo Ball Soup

2 sheets of Matzo (about 65 g)
2 large Eggs
2 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/4 tsp Granulated garlic
Pinch of White Pepper
Pinch of Kosher salt (Could you really use anything else?)

Fit your food processor with the blade and add the Onion Powder, Granulated Garlic, White Pepper and Kosher Salt.
Break up the Matzo Sheets and add them to the work bowl.

Whirl it all up until you have a fine crumb and the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour this into a bowl and add the Eggs and Olive oil.

Stir with a fork until a "paste" is formed, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the chicken stock in a 2 quart saucepan (with a lid) and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Remove the Matzo paste from the refrigerator and wet your hands, then simply form the matzo paste into walnut sized balls.... Keep you hands wet helps to prevent matzo finger stickage.

Place the matzo balls in the boiling stock, then cover and reduce the flame to low.

Simmer for 30 minutes. (They will have expanded to about twice their original size)

Spoon the broth into a bowl with about 3 Matzo balls, and enjoy!

MMMMMM Moist, Soft and Fluffy... Not to mention filled with "chicken soup" type goodness. Which is a good thing, since I have been living on this for about a week. LOL

khap a nash!!
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