Pork Tenderloin Provençal

Ok, I'm goin' for S E V E N ! Seven posts in a row. But seriously, tonight's dinner was so delish that I have to tell you about it. And my post title is misleading. It's really just pork chops but I felt that sounded as exciting as organizing my non-existent shoe collection! I know I would skip the details of pork chop recipe, especially if you had the childhood experience of thin cardboard chops like my mother made. No offense mom. But your chops were a step up from burnt chicken. And in reality, you can make this dish as a tenderloin roast as well so I'm not really lying.

I'm sorry to report that I don't have any pix either. I made this dinner right-quick, but I'm sure that if you read what's in this dish, you'll want to try it yourself. It was so amazingly simple. If I didn't make it myself, I would not have believed it.

It started when Matt made these amazing potatoes yesterday. Now those I do have pix of, but I have not had the chance to off-load them from my camera yet, so you'll have to wait. And when you do see the pix, don't ask for the recipe because everything Matt makes is impulsively and creatively put together to create the gestalt. It's kind of like trying to take painting lessons from Jackson Pollock. A little of this. A little of that. But ask Jackson to show you how to recreate his latest painting and there's no way to do that. Well, that's how my husband cooks creates.

Rest assure, his potatoes were amazing (he made them for a guys' get-together yesterday so I only got a small bowlful to taste) and there were a bit of left-overs so I had to make a protein that could accompany them.

Pork chops were just the right price tonight at the store, $5.57 for two, about a pound. I'm going to put a plug in for GoodNaturePork.com since these center cut pork rib chops had an clean flavor, not tainted by over-processing and they also were very juicy, something that is difficult to find in a chop. Good Nature Pork does not have any antibiotics and no growth stimulants either. I purchased ours at The OutPost.

Here's what happened. I threw the chops on a grill pan. They cooked away. As tired as I was (it was past 9 pm) I was thinking I'd throw some BBQ sauce on them and be done. But I was craving the south of France flavors, and knew I had all the ingredients to accommodate my desires. I was almost too lazy to go outside and get the sprig of fresh rosemary I needed from our overgrown garden. Thank goodness I went. I cannot stress enough how yummy this dish was. (And healthy!) So the recipe follows.


Pork Chops Provençal

INGREDIENTS
  • 2 chops, trimmed of fat
  • 2T whole grain Dijon mustard (I use VILUX)
  • 1 garlic glove, pressed thru a garlic press
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

OK that's it! Seriously, that's all you need. It takes less than 5 minutes to cook the chops.

METHOD
  • Mix the mustard, garlic and chopped rosemary in a small dish
  • Lather the chop on one side only with the rosemary mustard
  • Grill the chop, marinade on top, on a grill pan for 3-4 minutes
  • Grill the marinade side for another minute
  • Do not over cook the chops or they will dry out; chops should be med-well.
  • Remove the chops and place on individual plates, but keep the pan hot.
  • Serve with a side of oven roasted potatoes and veggie of choice.
REDUCTION SAUCE
  • When lifting up the chops from the grill, some of the mixture may remain on the pan. This is OK. Try to scrape some of it off and coat the side of the chop that did not get the marinade.
  • Add about 4 oz of water to the hot pan to create a reduction sauce. Turn the heat down shortly after the water has been added. The water will steam and sizzle. That's what you want it to do. If it doesn't, the pan is not hot enough. If the pan is not hot enough, the flavors will not combine with the water and you will not get a good reduction sauce.
  • Scape the pan. Let the water simmer down. This reduction sauce should only take about 30-60 seconds to complete. Drizzle the "sauce" onto each chop.
You now have yourself a yummy, healthy, low fat meal!
Enjoy!

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