Roast pork with creamed corn and apple-raisin chutney

Nice title, huh? I wanted to try something new and as this recipe had some raving comments, I decided to go for it. Its a bit labor-intensive, but the good thing about it is that you can prepare it ahead and spread the work over a few days. I had a day off, so I did everything in a row – a lot of work, but definitely worth it. I served it as the main course after the creamy broccoli soup.

I was not very sure about this creamed corn – Estonians are used to eat meat with potatoes – but I’m glad I tried it. I know now that mint flavoured pork and acidulous sauce can successfully be partnered with creamed corn - did not miss the potatoes at all!

I adjusted the recipe according to what I felt was necessary. Serves two.

Pork

a handful fresh mint leaves, chopped 
4-5 garlic cloves
3 fresh rosemary sprigs or 1.5 tsp dry rosemary
1 onion
1 tsp salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper
150 ml olive oil
300-400 g pork tenderloin slices or pork chops

 

# Combine first four ingredients in processor and chop finely. Season with salt and pepper and blend in oil.

# Transfer marinade to bowl and add pork tenderloins, turning to coat evenly.

# Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (can be prepared 1 day ahead - keep refrigerated). I marinated pork for about 6 hours, but I guess you’ll get the best result when marinating overnight.

   Creamed corn
   150 g corn kernels 
   2 tbsp olive oil
   half onion, chopped
   1 garlic clove, minced
   3 tablespoons all purpose flour
   100 ml low-salt chicken broth 
  100 ml whipping cream    

  salt and pepper  

 

# Cook 1 tbsp of oil in heavy medium pot, add onion and garlic and sauté until soft.

# Transfer flour into the pot, stir until even (about 2 minutes). Slowly whisk in chicken broth; whisk until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in cream and bring mixture to simmer.

# Transfer 100 g corn kernels into the mixture and simmer until it is thick, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool slightly.

# Use a stick blender or transfer the mixture to processor and puree. Stir in the rest 50 g corn kernels (can also be prepared 1 day ahead – chill).

In the meantime prepare apple-raisin chutney. When you are ready to serve, you obviously need to cook the meat:

# Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.

# Remove pork from marinade. Add pork slices to skillet and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

# Transfer tenderloins into an ovenproof dish and roast  at 180-degrees C for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit covered with foil for 7 mins. The meat should then be ready.

# Bring corn to simmer. The orginal recipe suggests to spoon corn onto plates and place pork tenderloins atop corn. Everything should then be topped with apple-raisin chutney and dish is ready to serve.

The next time though I wouldn’t spoon hot corn cream under the tenderloins but would leave it next to it, because I figure it would look better. Or maybe I should reduce the amount of cream and broth in the corn mixture, to get more firm cream. Will try and let you know.

I love the combination of flavours and texture of this dish – the tastes of juicy and flavorful pork and smooth creamed corn balance each other very nicely. Apple-raisin chutney compliments the flavors perfectly, so I definitely suggest not to omit it.

Apple-raisin chutney

This is wonderful served with pork but would go well with chicken as well. Or any kind of meat I assume. I found the recipe from here, reduced the amounts and got about 250 ml of sauce.

100 ml apple cider vinegar

50 ml water

2 tbsp sugar
1  Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
a handful of  raisins
4 whole cloves
0.5 tsp salt 
1.5 tsp ground ginger

 

Stir vinegar and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Boil without stirring until syrupy, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer until apples are tender, liquid is absorbed, and mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. You might want to add 1 tbsp of cornstarch as well, to thicken it a bit.

The sauce can be prepared up to 2 weeks ahead (cool completely and refrigerate in airtight container).