It’s Autumn you guys!! You all known by now how much I LOVE autumn. The colours, the crisp, cold air, the crunch of fallen leaves underfoot…it is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful time of year. It’s also arguably the most delicious time of year. Autumn bring gorgeous root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, and swedes, not to mention a huge variety of pumpkins, mushrooms, and citrus fruits. As soon as the weather turns colder, I have an overwhelming urge to put on a cozy jumper and cook warm, hearty meals with rich, earthy flavours.
Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll share a few such meals, but for the time being, let’s start with this Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Autumn Vegetables.
A bacon wrapped pork tenderloin might sound a bit…excessive, but trust me, it’s so worth it. Technically, I used pancetta rather than bacon, but that didn’t sound quite as good for a blog title so I took some creative license. Don’t judge me, it’s all about ~aesthetics~.
Pancetta is really salty and has a tendency to crisp up when cooked, so wrapping it around the pork ensures that the meat remains tender and juicy whilst also benefitting from the crunchy crust of the pancetta. I trimmed a lot of the fat from the pancetta beforehand, which I would recommend doing for two reasons: 1) it reduces the amount of gross fats and oils that you have to drain from the dish before serving, and 2) it’s healthier and tastes better.
Given that this is quite a rich and fatty way to cook meat, I’ve paired it with a simple salad of spinach, walnuts, roasted pumpkin, sweet potato, and parsnip. The earthy flavours of root vegetables do well to detract from the saltiness of the pancetta, while the spinach provides a nice freshness to the dish. The walnuts are there for the crunch, of course. You could also use pecans, which would be a bit more autumn-y, but unfortunately I didn’t have any at the time.
To finish this dish, I dressed the salad with some raspberry vinegar. Fruit flavoured vinegars are a complete cooking revelation. In my pantry, I have raspberry, fig, and orange vinegar, and let me tell you, they can really take a dish to the next level. Whether you’re using them to dress a salad, or adding a little bit to your casserole, they bring a whole new level of sharpness and acidity that surprises and delights your palette.
If you can’t find any fruit vinegars, you can always use a regular balsamic (I sound a bit like Ina Garten now don’t I? Store bought is fine). Included below is a picture *without* vinegar just in case you can’t imagine what the dish would look like without it. Still good!
If you’re me, you’ll eat this while reading French literature. Although, to be honest, most of the books pictured above are ones that I read at uni and really didn’t like (the romance and decadence periods just do not appeal to my literary tastes). At the moment I’m reading old Agatha Christie novels in French, which are a bit lighter and more enjoyable. While you’re reading/eating, perhaps you’d like to listen to Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, The Heart Speaks in Whispers. I was obsessed with this album last winter and I’m enjoying revisiting it again this year.
As always, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of this recipe. Or anything else mentioned in this post, be it literature, music, vinegar…whatevs.
Ingredients
- 1x 300g pork tenderloin
- 100g pancetta
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 jap pumpkin
- 1 large parsnip
- 1 purple sweet potato
- 3 cups baby spinach, washed
- 1 cup walnuts
- 3 tbsp raspberry vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
Method
- Preheat oven to 200ºC.
- Trim fat and silver skin from pork. Lay slices of pancetta vertically on a chopping board, with each slice overlapping slightly. Place pork horizontally across the centre of the pancetta strips, and fold the strips up around the pork so that it is fully wrapped in pancetta.
- Drizzle a small amount of oil into a roasting tray, and place pork on top. Season well with black pepper. Roast for 30 minutes or until pork is cooked through and no longer pink in the centre.
- Meanwhile, peel parsnip and sweet potato, and cut into wedges approximately 3/4 inch thick. Cut the pumpkin into 1 inch thick slices, leaving the skin on.
- Place vegetables in a roasting dish, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Once pork has finished cooking, remove from pan and place on a plate lined with several layers of paper towel. Allow the pork to rest until the paper towel has absorbed most of the fats.
- Turn the oven up to 220ºC, coat the vegetables in olive oil, and roast for 30 minutes or until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, arrange the spinach leaves across three plates. Slice pork and place on top of spinach. Once the vegetables are cooked, divide them evenly between the three plates and top with the walnuts. Finish with a drizzle of raspberry vinegar, and serve warm.
Notes
Keeping time: the pork and vegetables will each keep for four days in an airtight container in the fridge. The spinach should be stored separately and will keep for several days in the fridge.
