Day 49: Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce

I've counted it three times, and I come up with the same number every time -- today is Day 49, but tonight's dinner is the 50th recipe!  Woo-hoo!  I finished one day early!

I picked a wonderful recipe for my last meal (so to speak):  Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce from A Great American Cook.  I had originally planned on making Warm Cabbage Salad but I'm glad I didn't -- this recipe made more than enough food for us to eat. There were a lot of steps to this dish that kept me quite busy for a couple hours.

I don't know where this guy shops, but the smallest package of pork tenderloin had two pieces of meat, and weighed 4 pounds total.  I was afraid the larger size of the meat might make a difference in the cooking time, but sure enough after 20 minutes I put in the thermometer, and it read 145!  I purchased Crimini mushrooms instead of the Portobello, which were looking a bit, oh, let's say they looked tired.

The pork was so tender you could cut it with your fork.  The vegetables were tasty too, but my favorite part was the sauce.  I put several spoonfuls on my plate.

No question about it -- this recipe is at the top of my favorites list, but I won't be making it too often.  There's 10 tablespoons of butter in this recipe!

Pork Tenderloin with Portobello Mushroom Sauce
A Great American Cook
Yield:  Serves 4

2 pounds pork tenderloin (2-3 tenderloins)
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
A handful of parsley stems
1 cup Merlot
4 new potatoes or other small potatoes
2 medium parsnips
2 medium turnips
1 rutabaga
2 fennel bulbs
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms
3 shallots
6 tbsp olive oil
10 tbsp (1 stick plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth or veal broth

     Remove any silverskin (tough sinew) from the pork.  Slice the onion and put it in a large bowl.  Smash the garlic.  Add the garlic, parsley stems, and Merlot to the bowl and stir well.  Add the pork, turning it in the marinade.  Cover and marinate, refrigerated, for 1 to 2 hours, turning the pork occasionally.
     Heat the oven to 450.
     Peel the potatoes, parsnips, turnips, and rutabaga and cut them into bite-sized pieces.  Put them in a bowl of cold water.  Trim the fennel, cut lengthwise in half, and remove the cores.
     Stem the mushrooms and place them gill side up on a baking sheet.  Mince the shallots and mix with 2 tbsp of the olive oil.  Spoon the shallot mixture onto the mushroom caps.
     Roast the mushrooms for 5 to 8 minutes, or until hot, so they absorb the flavors of the shallots.  Remove the mushrooms, dice them, and transfer to a medium saucepan.  (Leave the oven on.)
     Melt 6 tbsp of the butter in a small saucepan.  Drain the root vegetables and put them and the fennel in a large bowl.  Toss with the melted butter, 2 tbsp of the olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a large baking pan, add 1/2 cup water, and roast for 40 minutes, turning the vegetables occasionally.
     Meanwhile, remove the pork from the marinade and strain the marinade into the saucepan with the mushrooms.  Add the broth, bring to a simmer on low heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until slightly thickened.  Remove from the heat.
     Pat the pork dry with paper towels.  Salt and pepper it, brush it with the remaining 2 tbsp oil, and place on a small rimmed baking sheet.  When the vegetables have roasted for 10 minutes, place the pork in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning once, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 145.  Transfer the pork to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.
     When the pork rests, bring the mushroom mixture back to a simmer.  Stir in the remaining 4 tbsp butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
     Carve the pork into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Place the pork on a platter, cover with the roasted vegetables, and spoon over the portobello sauce.  Serve.