Love Me Tender -- Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion, Almond, and Apricot Stuffing that is!

I’m in love again. Head over heals in love and I’m announcing it weeks before Valentine’s Day. From the first moment my eyes gazed longingly upon the new object of my desire, the love spell was cast. The pitter patter of my heart raced with anticipation. Would everything of our first get together be as wonderful as I hoped? Would it be all that I longed for?

Okay, okay ... there’s no need to get all a twitter. I’m talking about tasting my new recipe for stuffed pork tenderloin! Gee whiz, what did you think I meant? hehe

Remember how you felt the first time you tried a new recipe and found it to be a real keeper? I mean, seriously, how many times do you really close your eyes and let out a moan when you take the first bite? This recipe is THAT good. I’ve never made anything like it and I’m just so pleased with it. The stuffing is just sooooo yummilicious, and the pork itself was perfect. Really folks, you MUST try this. It’s the stuff of legends. Well, okay, maybe not legends, but it’s 'love at first sight' good. The original recipe (Better Homes and Gardens) actually calls for it to be made with turkey tenderloins and served as an appetizer. I adapted it to be a main entrée and used that other white meat – pork. It is rather messy to assemble, but, oh baby, it is worth it. Come on, join me as we make ...

Love Me Tender
Pork Tenderloin with Onion Apricot Cream Stuffing

1 tablespoon butter
1 sweet onion – sliced into thin half rounds
¼ teaspoon black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoons brandy
6 dried apricots – diced
½ of an 8 oz brick of cream cheese – softened
1 pork tenderloin – trimmed of any exterior fat or sliver skin
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon pistachios
drizzle of olive oil
Garlic Salt
5-6 long pieces of cotton kitchen string

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onion. Toss gently and cook until the onion is tender and has turned a lovely golden color. Stir in the peppers. Remove from heat, and add the brandy, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan.Add the diced dried apricots, cover, and let stand off the heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until it’s melted and everything is combined.

Heat the oven to 400F. Place a rack on a foil lined baking pan. In a small pan, over medium heat, toast the almonds and pistachios. It won’t take but a couple of minutes.After the nuts have toasted, chop the nuts as you would for baking. Now it’s time to butterfly the pork. This is the messy part. Very carefully, with a sharp knife, butterfly slice your tenderloin so that it lays flat in a rectangle shape. I actually used both a knife and kitchen shears. I wish I could have taken a picture for you, but my hands were really, well, gross. Anyway, pat your pork dry. Using a meat mallet, pound the pork until it is uniform in thickness. Really pound away. Now take your cream cheese mixture and spread it to within 1 inch of the edges. Take your chopped nuts, and sprinkle them on top of the cream cheese. Now roll your pork up lengthwise, jelly roll style. Try to make a tight roll. Tie at about 1-1/2 to 2” intervals with string. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Place on the rack, and bake for 35-40 minutes.You can see that the stuffed loin reached from end to end on this rack.
See how much it shrinks when it cooks? Isn’t that incredible? That’s okay, I forgave it.I mean look at this!Isn’t this gorgeous? Remove from the oven, and allow to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.Remove the string. It just peels away super easily.

Slice. Serve. Fall in love. Hum Love Me Tender(loin). This is so flavorful. You’ve got the wonderful pork paired with the creamy filling.The creamy filling, or stuffing I should say, is surprisingly light. The onion takes center stage, but the apricots and nuts definitely let it be known that they are at the party. This stuffing would go great rolled up in thin chicken breasts, plus it would be super easy to do with just regular pork chops.My youngest child loved this. Which reminds me, this is a GLUTEN FREE recipe, all the way, baby!

And, if you are in the mood to listen to some love songs while you savor your stuffed pork tenderloin, here is a list of the top 20 love songs of all time courtesy of the internet. Of course, I’m sure this list changes daily. Check it out and see how many of these you know!

1 WHITNEY HOUSTON -I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
2 ELVIS PRESLEY -LOVE ME TENDER
3 CELINE DION -MY HEART WILL GO ON
4 JOURNEY -OPEN ARMS
5 PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS -MAYBE I’M AMAZED
6 RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS -UNCHAINED MELODY
7 LIONEL RICHIE/DIANA ROSS -ENDLESS LOVE
8 ELTON JOHN -YOUR SONG
9 JACKSON 5 -I’LL BE THERE
10 AEROSMITH -I DON’T WANNA MISS A THING
11 ETTA JAMES -AT LAST
12 BEE GEES -HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE
13 SINEAD O’CONNOR -NOTHING COMPARES 2 U
14 OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN -I HONESTLY LOVE YOU
15 BILLY JOEL -SHE’S GOT A WAY
16 FRANK SINATRA -FLY ME TO THE MOON
17 FAITH HILL -BREATHE
18 PETER GABRIEL -IN YOUR EYES
19 CHICAGO -IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW
20 SONNY & CHER -I GOT YOU BABE

Great Scot! Scottish Savory Oat Stuffing That Is!

My 7th grade son is currently reading Kidnapped, which takes place in the legendary Scottish countryside and coast. Written by Robert Louis Stevenson, the tale is told in 18th Century Scottish dialect, transporting my son back in time via vocabulary and phrases such as nae (no), ken (know), mair (more), dinnae (did not), and dirdum (blame). You all know how much I love words and word roots, so while my son's level of enthusiasm is, shall we say, not the same as mine, it's been fun for me to learn these Scottish phrases.

That brings us to our recipe for today. Delightfully labelled a “skirlie”, this is an oat stuffing whose roots trace back for centuries in Scotland. It’s a wonderful recipe, and is surprisingly light with terrific texture and full flavor. With Thanksgiving around the corner, I’m looking for alternative stuffing recipes for my wee bairn that cannae (cannot) eat traditional wheat based stuffings. Sure, I can prepare a rice stuffing, but one bite of this has assured and secured it a spot on our Thanksgiving menu this year. Besides, it’s fun to say. “Skirlie” Skirlie, skirlie, skirlie!

Let’s begin, shall we. Oh, one more thing, I tested this using chicken ... no sense at all in cooking up a big Turkey two weeks before reenacting the Pilgrim celebration after all. Ok, now let’s get to it.

Super Savory Stuffing – Scottish Skirlie Style
(It's gluten free, too!)

Ingredients:

½ stick butter
1 onion chopped
1 cup regular old fashioned oatmeal
Couple grinds of salt
Generous grinds of pepper
Scant ½ teaspoon coriander
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (I dinnae use this --- we’re not huge nutmeg fans)

1 whole chicken for roasting
3 large onions, sliced in half
Seasoned salt
½ stick butter, melted and combined with a couple tablespoons of canola oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a 10” skillet, over medium heat, melt ½ stick of butter until it starts to bubble.Isn’t melted butter yummy looking? Add chopped onions and sauté until golden. Nope, they’re not golden enough yet.Okay, now they are golden. All at once, add the oatmeal and stir to coat with butter.Saute until toasted and slightly golden. You'll notice I'm not adding a drop of liquid here. We don't want this to turn into the consistency found in your breakfast oatmeal. Add your seasonings.Here’s the coriander in my pale, Pacific Northwest sun deprived hand. Hmm ... I have a relative who always wants to know how I know if I’m adding the right amount if I actually don’t measure everything. Let’s test shall we? I need a scant ½ teaspoon.I’ll just tip this into a measuring spoon and ... ta da! Oh ye of little faith. Not you, my blog friends, I’m referring to someone with the same blood line as myself. Hmphf. To be fair, though, she's usually asking me how much to add of something ... since I don't measure, I usually respond with "two shakes of this, or a couple grinds of that". Do you measure everything? Everything? Let me know.

Alrighty. Spoon your stuffing into a bowl to cool slightly while you prepare your bird. Place your chicken breast side up in a shallow roasting pan (I used Pyrex). Fill the cavity of the wee beast with the cooled skirlie. Don’t pack it it, it will expand while cooking. Place your halved onions all around the bird. NOTE: I didn’t lace up the chicken; instead I used the onions to prop up the chicken. I don’t usually stuff my poultry; I usually prepare the stuffing in a separate pan. So, therefore, I’m not much of a lacer. Feel free, of course, to lace up your bird. How many of you do that? Let’s take a quick poll ... how many of you are lacers? How many are not? Now season and baste your bird and onions with the butter/oil mixture.Pop it into the oven, and roast for 1-1/2 hours. Baste the bird and onions every 20 minutes or so.Just look at this gorgeous color! YUM! The meat is so moist!Just look, look at the breast meat!Mmm, a quick taste test ... and yep, it’s heavenly.See how crisp that skin is?

Hold on though, folks. It’s the stuffing we’re after today. Just look at this. For those of you who have only experienced oatmeal in sweet recipes, you are in for a treat with this savory version! This stuffing really has it goin’ on. The onion flavor really shines through, and the salt, pepper, and coriander hold their own. Let’s look closer. The texture is just outstanding. Remember: No added liquid (If you make it as a side dish, I'd use just a tad of broth.) It has a great al dente-ness about it; I’m quite pleased. Let’s try a bite. Oh, yeah, this is a keeper recipe for sure. Oh, and since this has no wheat in it whatsoever, this is gluten free, all the way baby! (NOTE: Some folks following gluten free diets have to abstain from oats as well. Use your best judgment in determining what's best for you and those you cook for.)

This Thanksgiving, I’ll be giving thanks for savory oat stuffing. Of course, I’m thankful for ALL stuffing recipes ... YUM. I can’t wait to say to those at the table, “Pass the skirlie, please!” What’s your favorite type of stuffing? Traditional? Do you have a special twist? I’d love to hear about it.