Pork tenderloins with porcini
For someone born in a country where the mushroom gathering is like football in France and the forests are very generous, from porcini to chantarelles and other mushrooms, it is hard to consume the idea of French mushroom prices, as even in the harshest years in Latvia, the price could go maximum to 40 euros, usually being around 15-20 euros per kg, whereas in France 50-60 euros in kg. So, as one could imagine, those fall treats are not being enjoyed here in France as much as in Latvia, Estonia, or Lithuania, where the fall menu is all about cooking fresh mushrooms and winter is about dried or pickled ones. But on days like this recent Saturday, with fall cold being colder than expected, it was time to indulge in them. This time with a gravy-like sauce and a slice of pork.
15 ml mild extra virgin olive oil
4 pork tenderloins
2 sprigs of thyme
sauce/gravy:
30 ml mild extra virgin olive oil
400 g porcini, cut into 2-3 mm slices
1 shallots, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp all-purpose wheat flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worchester sauce
400 ml vegetable or meat stock
maple syrup to taste
sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
small handful of chopped parsley
Heat a pan, and when hot, add oil. Then add porcini and fry on medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, turning once in a while. Then, raise the heat and finish frying when letting them turn golden. Add a bit of salt, mix, and put on a plate, covering it with foil and a towel or placing it in an oven heated to 85 degrees.
In the same pan, add shallots, rosemary, garlic, and sautée on a small heat for 3-4 minutes. Then add flour and mix in. Add mustard and Worcester sauce and mix again. Add stock and mix. Turn the heat to medium and boil for 15 minutes, letting it reduce. Taste for salt and pepper and add some maple syrup to even out the taste. If you feel like it evaporates too fast, turn the heat small.
Eight minutes before it is done, heat another pan, and when hot, add oil and tenderloins, frying in medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on one side and then the other (the time depends on how thick the slices are). The internal temperature should be 63° C).
Take off the heat and place in a serving dish. Add mushrooms to the sauce in the pan, mix and pour over the tenderloins. Sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground pepper, and serve.
