Cast Iron

Roasted Pork Tenderloin & Kumquat Sauce with Delicata Squash and Mustard Greens

January 28, 2014
4
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Inspired by the seasonal produce at Pike's Place Market, this recipe takes in winter and bundles it into a layer of flavors. The tart sweet from the Kumquat sauce and squash is finished with the mild horseradish flavor from the mustard greens. The mild yet, distinct flavors are a perfect pairing with the pork. —Fig in the Oyster

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Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed
  • 1 orange, juiced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
  • 1/2 cup sliced kumquats
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 medium delicata squash, halved & seeded; cut into 1 inch slices
  • 2 tablespoons ghee, or butter
  • 1 bunch mustard greens, rinsed and dried
  • 1 pinch each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. PREP IN ADVANCE: Trim the pork tenderloin removing the “silver skin” but leaving the fat intact. In a shallow glass dish, combine the orange juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, sliced kumquats 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, you may marinade for up to 12 hours.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large caste iron pan over medium-high heat
  4. Remove the pork from the marinade; save marinade for a later step. Place the pork in the pan and carefully sear all sides (3) of the meat, about 1 minute per side.
  5. When the searing is done, remove pork from pan and set aside on a cutting board. Keeping the pan on medium-heat, add the saved marinade, 2 tablespoons ghee/butter and 2 tablespoons of honey to the caste-iron pan and over continue to stir while the marinade reduces into a sauce. Watch the sauce to prevent from burning. Remove the sauce from the pan and set aside once the kumquats are a softened and turn a golden brown – about 5-10 minutes.
  6. Layer the caste-iron pan with the delicata squash slices, sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper and mix around in the remnants of the sauce remaining in the pan. Spread out evenly and place the seared pork tenderloin on top of the squash.
  7. Using a thermometer, cook until the internal temperature of the pork tenderloin reaches 150 degrees. About 25 minutes. During this time tear the mustard into large chunks and set aside in a dish.
  8. Place tenderloin on cutting board and rest for 5-10 minutes. Add the sauce and torn mustard greens to the cast-iron pan with the roasted squash slices immediately. Mix ingredients together and once mustard greens begin to wilt (a gentle heating to a softer dark-winter green is the aim), plate on serving dish. Slice pork into 1 ½ inch slices and lay on top of the squash and greens to serve.

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1 Review

NXL October 19, 2019
I took a chance and tried this recipe, even though there was no photo of the finished dish: It was fantastic! I somehow missed the direction to remove the sauce from the pan before putting in the oven, but it turned out fine. I think I could easily have cut down on some of the fat, but it was delicious and easy to make.