Pork Recipes, Recipes

Pork tenderloin recipe w/ romesco sauce & black leeks

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A late summer or early autumn favourite, this pork tenderloin recipe highlights the perfect pairing of Romesco sauce and pork. The sauce is so versatile it’s equally delicious when served with leeks alone. Nuts in the Romesco can be easily swapped – hazelnuts, pecans, or even peanuts work wonderfully if needed. Simple, delicious, and bursting with Spanish charm. Viva España!

Serves 2 generously, with enough leftovers for an epic sandwich!

Ingredients

Romesco Sauce

Leeks

Pork and Seasoning

Method

Preparing the Romesco Sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
  2. In a roasting tray, add the peppers, tomatoes, bread, garlic cloves, and onion.
  3. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the ingredients.
  4. Roast everything, turning often to prevent the bread or garlic from burning before the rest is done. Start with 20-minutes and check regularly, continuing in increments as needed.
  5. Once done, the contents should be nicely coloured and beginning to char in places.
  6. Remove the tray from the oven and place the nuts on a smaller tray.
  7. Toast the nuts in the oven for about 4-minutes or until golden brown but not burnt. Give them a little longer if necessary.
  8. In a blender, add the roasted vegetables and bread, squeezing the garlic from its skins (discard the skins).
  9. Add the toasted nuts, oregano, the remaining olive oil, paprika, vinegar, and salt. Blitz until smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add just enough warm water to get it moving.
  10. Transfer the Romesco sauce to a bowl and set aside to allow the flavours to develop.

Grilling the Leeks and Pork on the BBQ

  1. Light the charcoal in your grill to prepare for cooking the meat and leeks.
  2. For the pork seasoning, mix the dried herbs, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Just before cooking, lightly oil the pork and roll it in the seasoning.
  3. Place the leeks, dry and unseasoned, directly over the glowing embers. Cook until they are charred all over and blackened. A sharp knife should sink through easily when they are done.
  4. Remove the leeks from the grill and gently crumble away any flaking blackness, leaving most of the char intact. Halve the leeks lengthways, lay the flat side down on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and season lightly with salt.
  5. Cook the pork on the grill until it is faintly pink in the centre or to your preferred level of doneness. Allow it to rest well before slicing on the bias.
  6. Serve the pork with the charred leeks and Romesco sauce.

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Valentine Warner is a chef, food writer, business owner and broadcaster, with a deep interest in nature, travel and provincial food. He describes his cooking style as ‘International Grandmother’ and combines his strong sense of storytelling with his infectious love of cookery. Val has a deep respect and understanding of ingredients, both wild and cultivated, and has the instinctive ability to rustle up hearty and wholesome meals from whatever’s available. Val is an avid proponent of native food sources, and finds common ground with Swaledale in their work to deliver top-notch meat, within a truthful, ethical and high welfare framework. Originally a trained portrait painter, Val has also authored 5 cookbooks, managed his own catering company and is a co-owner of Taqueria, a West London Mexican cafe. Val is also a partner in the Hepple Distillery in Northumberland and Holmen Lofoten hotel on arctic Norway’s Lofoten island.