Stuffed pork tenderloin with ricotta, mushrooms and spinach
Recipe for stuffed pork tenderloin, - packed with flavour from garlic, parmesan and mushrooms.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 large pork tenderloin
- 100 g mushrooms, - cut into small dice - I use chestnut mushrooms
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
- 100 g fresh spinach - Can be replaced with thawed frozen spinach
- 100 g ricotta
- 30 g parmesan, finely grated
- 150 g streaky bacon
- Salt and pepper
- Oil
Instructions
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the mushrooms, garlic and onion for about 5 min.
- Turn down the heat, add the spinach and let it heat through until it has wilted, - season with salt and pepper.
- Leave the mixture to cool completely.
- Mix the ricotta with the grated parmesan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Trim the tenderloin of any sinew and silver skin.
- Cut a deep slit along the centre of the tenderloin, – lengthways, from end to end, making sure not to cut all the way through. Season the inside with salt and pepper.
- Spread the inside of the tenderloin with the ricotta mixture, then fill it with the mushroom and spinach mixture and close the meat around the filling.
- Wrap the tenderloin in the bacon, – wrap it firmly and tightly so the filling stays inside the tenderloin during cooking. You can also tie it with kitchen string to hold it together extra securely. If it is not going to be cooked straight away, wrap the tenderloin tightly in cling film, – just remember to remove it before cooking.
- Fry or barbecue the tenderloin on a flat griddle or frying pan in a little oil, – turn it as it cooks and fry until it is golden all the way round and reaches a core temperature of 62-65°C. This takes just under half an hour. The barbecue should be at about 200°C.It can also be cooked in the oven, – again at 200°C (conventional oven, top and bottom heat) for about 22-30 min. – depending on how pink you like it. Remember that the temperature will rise a few degrees more while it rests.
- Leave the tenderloin to rest for 5-8 min. before slicing, – remember to remove any kitchen string before serving, or warn your guests to look out for the string themselves.