Tuscan Roast Pork in a Baguette

Here's an easy recipe that lets you do something different with pork tenderloin.  It uses the classic combination of fresh sage, rosemary and sea salt that goes so well with pork.  It's a cinch to make - the pork is seared and then tucked inside the baguette, wrapped in foil and baked in the oven.  You slice it up and eat it like a sandwich.

 

I baked my own baguette in this post, using the Artisan Bread recipe, so I could make the baguette the perfect size.  If you're buying a baguette, don't fret too much about matching the size to your pork tenderloin - just buy a smallish baguette and you will be trimming the ends anyway, to fit the pork.  I do love making my own fresh baguettes - it's very easy.  I use this baguette pan to do it. You can make two at a time if you want.

This recipe comes from Judy Witts.  Do you know who she is?  You should.  She is "Divina Cucina".  She lives in Florence and teaches cooking classes and takes people on foodie tours all around Italy.  This Tuscan Pork recipe is something that David Leibovitz raved about when he visited Judy a few years ago. 

Tuscan Roast Pork in a Baguette

for a printable recipe, click here

adapted from Judy Witts

The size of the baguette and pork tenderloin don't have to match exactly. You will be trimming off the ends of the baguette to fit the meat. 

Ingredients:

• 1 small baguette
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 large rosemary sprig
• 1 large sage leaf sprig
• 1 teaspoon course sea salt
• 2 springs flat leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, zested
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 pork tenderloin 
• freshly ground pepper 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cut the baguette in half, lengthwise.  Scoop out some of the soft insides (you can use these for bread crumbs for a later use).  Set aside.

Strip leaves off rosemary and sage sprigs.  Place the garlic, herb leaves, sea salt, parsley and lemon zest on a cutting board or in a mezzaluna bowl and chop everything up finely.  

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat.  Season the pork tenderloin well with freshly ground pepper. Sear the pork on all sides in the pan and remove after you have a nice crust formed all over.  

Brush the remaining olive oil, 2 tablespoons, onto the inside of the baguette halves.  Sprinkle the herb  mixture on top of the olive oil. Place the pork tenderloin on the bottom half of the baguette, place the top half of the baguette on top of the pork and cut off any overhanging bread on the ends.  Wrap the baguette up tightly in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 1 hour and remove.  Let rest for about 10 minutes.  Remove foil and slice.   

Avocado Caesar Dressing

I know a gal who is so obsessed with avocados that she has written a cookbook devoted to just avocados!  She is Gaby Dalkin, author of "What's Gaby Cooking" and she just happens to be my goddaughter.  "Absolutely Avocados" will show you many new and fun ways to use avocados.  Her love of avocados really comes through in this book.  It has certainly given me a new appreciation of what you can do with an avocado.

 

Gaby lives in L.A. now where she is a private chef, recipe developer and food blogger.  She has even been a private chef for Jessica Simpson, who wrote a blurb for the book. Gaby grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she acquired her love of avocados.  She is a guacamole nut and includes a few interesting new versions in her book, including an Asian inspired one that sounds really good - Spicy Sesame Guacamole.  There are 75 recipes in the book and they run the gamut from breakfast to dessert and everything in between.  She even has a recipe for Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies that swaps out the butter in the recipe for an avocado!  How great is that? Gaby also explains the different kinds of avocados there are and how to buy and store them.  

Do you know the easy way to prep an avocado?  Hold the avocado in your hand and with a sharp knife, cut through the avocado to the pit, lengthwise, around the whole avocado.  Twist the two halves - they come right apart.  Then whack the knife right in to the pit and twist.  It pops out.  Take a spoon and scoop out the flesh.

It was hard to decide what to make out of the book because so many things looked good:  there was a Balsamic Portobello Topped with Herbed Avocado Salad, Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Pasta, Hawaiian Pulled Pork and Avocado Sandwich that I'm sure my husband would love and then the Avocado and Chocolate Chip Pound Cake, which I almost made.  But this Caesar Dressing won out and it is, no exaggeration, fantastic!  I couldn't stop eating it.  I thought maybe it was the best dressing I'd ever had.  It is rich and creamy with a little zing in it.  You can make it as thick or thin as  you want by adjusting the olive oil. Don't limit yourself to using it just over salad, because it's too good.  I think spreading it on a sandwich would be great, too.

Avocado Caesar Dressing

 Add this recipe to ZipList!

from "Absolutely Avocados" by Gaby Dalkin

for a printable recipe click here

makes about 1½ cups

Ingredients:

• 1 Hass avocado
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more in needed
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin and place the avocado flesh in a food processor bowl.

Add the olive oil, Parmesan, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic cloves, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.  Pulse for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.  Adjust the salt and pepper if needed.  (You can thin the dressing, if you need to, with more olive oil).

Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

Drunken Pasta

Here's a good reason to open a bottle of red wine - Drunken Pasta.  After slightly cooking your pasta in water, you finish cooking it in red wine.  It comes out a nice red color and very flavorful.   The recipe is easy and doesn't require a long list of ingredients. This is definitely a great little pantry dish.

What kind of red wine to use?  Something dry, fruity and good enough to drink - a Chianti or a Zinfandel works great. 

Click to read more ...