fullPork Medallions with Mushrooms and Onions
1 package of pork tenderloin (about 2 pounds)
olive oil
1/3 cup green onions, in 1" sections
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
sprigs of fresh herbs (basil, thyme)
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 400F. Slice pork tenderloins into 1/2" slices. Take approx. 1/3 cup of the unsliceable ends and chop into small bits. Place bits in about 2 cups of water in a small saucepan, along with sprigs of herbs, a few of the mushrooms and onions, salt and pepper to taste, and a tablespoon of olive oil, and boil gently for 10-15 minutes to make a broth.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, salt and pepper the pork slices lightly, and sauté them for 1-2 minutes per side until browned. After the pork is finished, place it in a Pyrex pie pan, and sauté the mushrooms and onions in the same pan, with additional oil as needed. Deglaze the pan with the wine, remove the mushrooms and onions to the top of the pork slices, and pour the pork broth through a mesh strainer into the pan. Mix well, cook for a minute or two, and pour over the pork slices.
Sprinkle the pork slices (and mushrooms and onions) with the cheese, and bake for 12 minutes.
Spaghetti Squash with Maple Syrup
1/2 of a small spaghetti squash
1T olive oil
2T maple syrup
2T brown sugar
cinnamon
ground cloves
Chop the squash into 3/4" cubes (sans rind), and toss in brown sugar. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, and cook the squash lightly until the oil is absorbed. Add 1 cup of water, maple syrup, and cinnamon and cloves to taste. Simmer, covered, about 10-15 minutes until squash is done and water has reduced to a sweet liquid (about 1/3 of its original volume), adding more water if needed. Mash gently and stir, reducing chunks of squash into a homogeneous mass of small stringy bits.
The pork came out quite well, although it could have done with a few more mushrooms. I also noticed that the intermediate broth would have made a very nice Vietnamese-style noodle soup if I'd had a lot more of it and put in some of the appropriate sort of noodles. I liked the squash a lot, but
suzanne didn't really, but then there are a lot of ways to cook winter squash that I like and she doesn't. 