Blogs, Recipes

Sausage Pizza Stuffed Tenderloin

I love pork tenderloin as you can tell from many of my posts. When prepared correctly, pork tenderloin is quite juicy and flavorful. It also is great reheated. 

Pork tenderloin is perfect for an easy dinner, but when you butterfly it and stuff it with a delicious filling, it gets even better.

I love creating new stuffings for it. We love pizza but are trying to cut out some carbs so I thought why not stuff a pork tenderloin with our favorite pizza toppings! And BOOM, this Sausage Pizza Pork tenderloin was born! 

Pair this meal with Scout and Cellar  2018 DOVE HUNT DOG PINOT NOIR and you have yourself a delicious fancy but simple dinner! 

Not a wine drinking, pair this with Coppertail’s Free Dive IPA. 

Ingredients

  • 1 Pork Tenderloin, garlic herb marinated
  • 1/s lb. Italian sausage
  • ½ Yellow Onion, diced
  • 8 oz. Mushrooms, rough chop
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pepper to taste
  • 8 oz. Shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup of flour
  • Parsely, chopped, optional
  • Parmesan cheese, shredded, for serving
  • 2 cups Tomato sauce, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Saute the diced onion,until translucent. 

Add the mushrooms, italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste; cook until the mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. 

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Remove from the heat. 

Add the Italian sausage to the same skillet and cook until browned. 

Remove from heat and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the grease. 

Butterfly the pork: Make a 1-inch-deep incision down the length of each tenderloin; do not cut all the way through. Open the meat like a book so the tenderloins lie flat.

Cover the pork with plastic wrap; pound with the flat side of a meat mallet until about 1/2 inch thick, starting from the middle and working outward. 

Sprinkle ½ of the  mozzarella cheese over the tenderloin. 

Spread the onion and mushroom mixture over the cheese.

Spread the sausage on top of the  onion and mushroom mixture. 

Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top of the sausage. 

Starting with a long side, tightly roll up each tenderloin. Secure the seams with the toothpicks or tie with twine. 

In a large dish, pour ½ cup of flour and spread out. 

Carefully roll the rolled stuffed tenderloin in the flour, covering all sides. 

Heat the same skillet over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, place tenderloin in the skillet (toothpick-side-down) and sear about 2 minutes per side (6-8 minutes total). Transfer the skillet with the tenderloin to the oven and bake at 350˚F for 18-20 min or until an instant read thermometer reads 145-150˚F in the thickest portion of the meat.

Transfer to a cutting board, brush with the pan drippings and rest 10 minutes before slicing into rings. Brush with pan drippings for more flavor and garnish with parsley if desired.

Slice into rings and drizzle tomato sauce over top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Advertisement
Blogs, Recipes

Crispy Pan-Fried Chicken

Edna Lewis, known as both the Grande Dame and Grande Doyenne of southern cooking, she was among the first African American women from the south to write a cookbook that did not hide the author’s true name, gender or race.

She was born and grew up in rural Virginia in an area called Freetown. She learned to cook from an extended family that included grandparents who had been enslaved. They didn’t have measuring spoons or scales, so instead, they used coins by piling baking powder on pennies, salt on dimes, and baking soda on nickels. This ensured the right amount was used in each dish. Interesting little tidbit: Lewis is said to have been able to tell when a cake was finished baking by listening to the sound it was making. 

She loved to use fresh, in season ingredients and characterized Southern food as fried chicken (pan, not deep-fried), pork, and fresh vegetables – most especially greens. She is a beacon of fried chicken perfection. Inspired by her pan-fried chicken, below is my pan-fried chicken recipe. 

She wrote and co-wrote four books which covered Southern cooking and life in a small community of freed slaves and their descendants. 

Dr. Edna Lewis passed away from cancer in 2006, at the age of 89. In 2014, she was  honored by the United State Postal Service with her very own postal stamp.

I encourage you to continue my research on Edna Lewis. She was an interesting lady with many talents! She actually made a dress for Marilyn Monroe!

Ingredients

  • 4 lbs. Chicken, drumsticks and thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. 

In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, place the chicken, garlic powder, paprika, red pepper flakes and dried Italian seasoning and shake to coat the chicken. Cover or seal and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Pour 1/2 to 1 inch of oil into a deep 12-inch cast-iron skillet and heat until a pinch of flour sizzles upon contact (about 360 degrees F). 

Set a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and set aside. 

In a bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. 

Place the flour, a pinch of salt and 1 ½ teaspoon ground pepper in a separate bowl. Whisk to combine. 

Dip the chicken in the egg and milk mixture, drain off the excess, then dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Working in batches, place the chicken skin-side down in the skillet and fry for 3 minutes without moving. Continue to fry, turning the chicken every 1 to 2 minutes to ensure even browning and cooking, until the chicken is cooked through, 11 to 15 minutes. 

Drain on the rack and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.