PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED PORK TENDERLOIN & A SUMMER VEG SAUTE
If you’re having a Hot Girl Summer, a Brat Summer, or a Very Demure, Very Mindful Summer, chances are you’re taking most of your meal cues from what’s available at the market. We certainly are. And we want to make sure it’s EASY. After all, most of the ingredients are so good right now, all we’ve been eating for dinner are grilled proteins and some farm fresh fruits ‘n’ veggies. The simpler, the better!
So this week Elizabeth is revealing her go-to, back-pocket, impressive-enough-to-serve-to-company (but secretly THE EASIEST!), Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin. It’s very demure. Very mindful. Meanwhile, Anthony is raiding the farm stand for a fresh and simple vegetable sauté that screams Summer--Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes with Feta & Mint!
PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED PORK TENDERLOIN
EK: The thing that I LOVE about summer food is that it is inherently simple and inherently good! It is really just about the ingredients plus as little heat as possible. That’s one of the best things about cooking outdoors plus the ease, the flavor and the fun!
AU: Yes, it’s that time of year when all the summer favorites are so good—tomatoes, corn, zucchini, peaches, plums—you don’t really need to do a lot to make an incredible meal.
EK: Just like the one we made this week. The Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin is a simpler version of my Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin and it may have just slid into first place this summer!
I mean, who doesn’t love pork on pork?! The beauty of the prosciutto wrap is that it adds a level of sophistication, eye appeal and great flavor. The slow-grilled crispy prosciutto crust adds the delicious meaty flavor of crispy bacon to the lean succulent pork tenderloin. And, it is just a little fancier than grilled tenderloin made with the Grilling Trilogy of olive oil, salt and pepper without having to make a marinade or a complicated sauce or relish.
AU: Sssssssh!! No one has to know that it’s actually the simplest recipe of all time.
EK: It is truly so simple that after you make it once, you won’t need a recipe (which is one of the reasons that I make the OG bacon-wrapped version when I travel and find myself cooking dinner in other people’s kitchens). From now on, this is the version that I will make because it takes even less time and is just as great!
EK: You only need four ingredients, the pork tenderloin, a package of prosciutto, olive oil and salt and pepper or your favorite salt blend. That’s it! I always look for smaller pork tenderloins. This one was from Niman Ranch and weighed 1.44 pounds. That is the largest size that I like to cook. I find that the smaller pork tenderloins not only taste better, but they are more tender and take less time to cook. If you are cooking for a crowd, double or triple the recipe.
EK: The trick to wrapping the pork tenderloin is to let the prosciutto come to room temperature and removing all the surface moisture from the tenderloin. You will find that the prosciutto will very easily stick to the tenderloin as you wrap it.
*Note: You shouldn’t need any toothpicks, as the meat and the thin slices of prosciutto will stick together easily. You can tuck any end pieces under the bottom side (seam side down), which is the side that you will put onto the cooking grates of your grill.
I included the toothpicks in the photo above, so I wouldn’t forget to remind you that if you want to use toothpicks, make sure to soak them in water first to reduce their risk of catching on fire.
Go ahead and pre-heat your grill while the tenderloin is wrapped in paper towels and the prosciutto is coming to room temp.
Once you are back inside and it’s time to prep your pork, give it a light coating with EVOO, season it lightly, and you are ready to wrap!
Take your time and make sure that the prosciutto doesn’t fold over on itself. you want to wrap it piece by piece, slightly overlapping the second piece onto of the first piece, etc. I start with the smallest end of the tenderloin and go from there. As soon as it is completely wrapped, it’s ready for the grill.
AU: I made this for dinner last night, and honestly the most difficult part of the whole process was getting the prosciutto out of the packaging. It takes a gentle hand and some patience. To Elizabeth’s point, when the prosciutto is at room temp, it’s less likely to tear. So don’t rush the process!
EK: At this point, you could also cover the wrapped tenderloin in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Now you are ready for the grill. Make sure you turn the burners off under the food and set your grill for indirect medium heat. Place the tenderloin on the cooking grates (over the burner that’s OFF) and let cook for 15-25 minutes depending on size. A 3/4 pound tenderloin should take about 15 minutes and my 1.44 pound tenderloin took just over 20 minutes and it was cooked through and lightly pink.
It’s always a good idea to use an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure it is done—about 150ºF is my preferred end temp—and there are some good visual cues too; the tenderloin will shrink in size, making it shorter and thicker than when it was raw, and the prosciutto will be a beautiful burnished color.
If you happen to have leftover “pickled peaches” from making my Summer Peach and Fresh Ginger Shrub from last week, serve them with the pork tenderloin for a summer supper to remember—otherwise, make Anthony’s Corn, Zucchini, and Tomatoes with Feta and Mint below!!
It’s that time of year when all you need are good ingredients,
a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
CORN, ZUCCHINI, AND TOMATOES WITH FETA & MINT
AU: As we’ve mentioned above, you don’t need to fux with a lot of stuff this time of year. It’s hot out—let’s not expend more energy than we need to, mmkay? Keeping it simple not only saves you time and money, but it also lets you appreciate the true flavors of your ingredients.
EK: And maybe take that extra energy savings and appreciate having the time to ‘sit and sip’ on something cool and refreshing!
AU: Josh and I have been trying to eat healthier at home. To be clear, we still get pizza and we still love our margaritas, but most of our meals during the week are a simply prepared protein (gotta hit those macros bro!) and a vegetable or salad.
When Elizabeth and I were discussing what to write for this very newsletter, I explained that we haven’t been eating “anything fancy” and that it’s all been super simple preparation… to which she replied “Well, let’s do that!”
She was right. If I—someone who enjoys cooking and trying new recipes—didn’t feel like going for broke every meal, chances are some of you feel that way, too. So this recipe is for you. It’s so simple, it’s almost stupid.
AU: Am I the only one who constantly has zucchini on hand this time of year? Like how many zucchini gratins, zucchini breads, and Stanley Tucci pastas can a guy make?! And if tomatoes were money, I’d be a Rockefeller. I love tomatoes so much, I try to make every dish about them (see also: the last few weeks of W4D newsletters). Corn is finally so sweet you don’t even really need to cook it.
I decided to take these three summer staples and combine them all into a quick sauté that is tied together with some feta, mint, lemon, and good olive oil.
AU: The “recipe” is simple: get out a big skillet and heat up some olive oil. Cut the kernels off of your corn, halve your cherry tomatoes, and thinly slice the zucchini. Throw it all into the pan, along with some chili flakes (I used Calabrian Chili flakes). The tiny bit of spice helps keep things poppin’ on the palate. You’re not trying to get any color or caramelization here, just barely warming everything through.
Soon the tomatoes will start to give off their juices and taste tomatoier, and that’s when you cut the heat off, squeeze lemon juice all over and check for seasoning. Off heat, crumble really nice feta over the dish and pluck as many mint leaves as you can find. Basil works too. Toss it all together, and you’ll be amazed at how the dish is truly greater than the sum of its parts!
