Pork Saltimbocca

The pork that I made for Sunday dinner was very good.  It seems we're having a lot of salads right now, but they've been great.

Sliced Pork Tenderloin Saltimbocca on Spinach and Arugula Salad from 30 Minute Get Real Meals by Rachael Ray

• 2 pork tenderloins (about 2 pounds), trimmed of silver skin and connective tissue
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil,(EVOO) plus more for drizzling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a bundle of fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 pound prosciutto di Parma
• 1 pound baby spinach
• 2 cups arugula leaves (1 bunch), washed and trimmed of stems
• 6 button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place the pork tenderloins on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Cut 3 slits into each loin a few inches apart. Nest the cloves of garlic into the slits.  Slatehr the pork with a healthy drizzle of EVOO and use your hands to coat the pork.  Strap leaves of sage across each piece of pork.  Wrap the tenderloins in the prosciutto, covering the pork entirely.  Drizzle again with EVOO. 
3. 
4. Roast the pork for 25 minutes.  While the pork roasts, prepare the salad.
5. Combine the greens and mushrooms in a salad bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine the minced shallot with the vinegar, lemon juice, and thyme.  Let stand for 15 minutes.  (Nice place for a red wine break here. Even Atkins himself had a glass now and again.) Stream about 1/4 cup of EVOO into the dressing while whisking to emulsify it.  Toss the salad with the dressing.
6. To serve, pile the salad onto the plates.  Slice the tenderloins on an angle, 1/2 inch slices, and arrange the sliced pork atop the salad.
7. 

My notes:  I used an 8 ounce package of mushrooms, I didn't count out 6.  I used about half the greens I bought and all the mushrooms for the salad for Sunday.  We have leftover greens and pork that I'll probably have for dinner tonight since it's "whatever" Tuesday.   I also used dried thyme. 

I do believe that the recipes take longer than 30 minutes, but this one didn't use as many dishes as I've seen in the past.  Also I did sip on some Pinot Noir while I cooked and had dinner.  Don't rely on time to cook the pork, get an instant read thermometer and temp the pork.  Also make sure it's calibrated correctly, I temped mine but it was slightly overcooked.  Need to check my thermometer.

So last night we had a chapter meeting for the Altanta personal chefs.  Our president Rosemary Rutland had arranged for a speaker and he was very interesting.  He was Albert DiFonzo and is currently an instructor at Le Cordon Bleu.  Prior to that he worked at the Ritz, the Cherokee Country Club, and many other places. 

In his presentation he talked about techniques and flavors and  that once you decide on a technique you can change flavors to change the end result.  It was very interesting and applicable to what we do as personal chefs taking into account our customer's likes and dislikes. 

He also showed us some tips on plating in small spaces since we work in client homes, not in large hotel or commercial spaces for the most part.  In addition he pulled some sugar and created a beautiful rose while he chatted with us.  Amazing.

He was extremely generous with his time and knowledge.  I just love my job that allows me to do what I enjoy and to come in  contact with so many interesting people. 

Tonight is quilt class and I didn't get as much done on the quilt as I thought I would.  I did some sewing, but couldn't concentrate on that.  I still need to quilt the piece and find out how to bind the edges.  I think also that I'll be planning out my next project.   I may need a trip to the quilt store this weekend!