Not only a staple in any well-stocked kitchen, culinary powerhouse, rosemary, also deserves a place in your medicine chest. Just the smell of this delightful herb has been shown to stimulate brain function while easing anxiety, and it has shown antiinflammatory and cancer preventive potential.
This week’s recipe for Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin is the perfect combination of weeknight ease and dinner party delectability. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She began sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic and it has since become a company tradition.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
James Beard
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (Weeknight Porchetta)
Bon Appétit (December 2017)
Notes
Porchetta is an Italian roasted pork dish originating more than 2000 years ago in Central Italy, around Rome. The dish is typically made with a boneless suckling pig. The pig is stuffed with fennel, garlic, and herbs, and often livers, ground pork, and/or sausage, and roasted over a spit. In the US, a porchetta roast is most often made with a stuffed pork loin wrapped in a slab of pork belly. This recipe is an easier and quicker (e.g., weeknight) version of the dish.
Ingredients
- 4 garlic cloves, plus 2 whole heads
- 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds (to develop more flavor, toast before chopping or grinding)
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1¾ pound pork tenderloin
- 4 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and finely chop 4 garlic cloves. Cut the 2 whole heads of garlic in half crosswise. Strip leaves off 1 rosemary sprig, discard stem, and finely chop leaves. Finely chop 1 Tbsp fennel seeds. (Note: The fennel seeds can also be ground coarsely in a small coffee grinder, which makes a great spice grinder.)
- Mix chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, chopped fennel seeds, salt, and 1 Tbsp olive oil in a small bowl; season with pepper. Rub garlic mixture all over the pork tenderloin on a rimmed baking sheet. If you have time, do this in the morning, and chill. (Pork can be rubbed with garlic mixture 1 day ahead, covered and refrigerated.)
- Scatter remaining rosemary sprigs in a baking dish and set tenderloin on top. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin, tucking ends underneath so bacon stays in place. Nestle halved heads of garlic around tenderloin and drizzle with the remaining 1 Tbsp oil. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the tenderloin registers 145°F, 30–40 minutes.
- (Note: At this temperature, the meat will be slightly pink, but perfectly safe to eat, based on USDA recommendations. If you have an aversion to a pink color in pork, cook to 155°F, but the meat will not be as juicy.) Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.