Something very Southern – pork tenderloins in a Mediterranean marinade served with an eggplant casserole.
Ingredients
Pork Tenderloins:
- Walnut oil: 3 tablespoons
- Lemon: 1
- Pork tenderloin: 1 kilogram
- Garlic cloves: 4
- Whole cumin: 0.5 teaspoon
- Black pepper: 1 pinch
- Salt: 1 pinch
- Sea salt: 1 pinch
Casserole:
- Fresh thyme: 10 grams
- Olive oil: 4 tablespoons
- Eggplant: 1
- Onion: 1
- Mozzarella: 1
- Bay leaf: 1
- Red tomatoes: 2
- Grana padano: 30 grams
- Hot paprika: 2 pinches
- Black pepper: 1 pinch
- Salt: 1 pinch
Preparation
Pork Tenderloins:
Chop 4 cloves of garlic, season with salt, and mash together. Transfer to a bowl and mix with juice from 1 lemon. Add 3-4 tablespoons of walnut oil, chopped cumin, and 2 pinches of sea salt, then mix thoroughly.
Wash, dry, and trim excess fat from the pork tenderloins. Season the meat with pepper and salt, then marinate in the prepared mixture. Wrap the bowl with meat and marinade in cling film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
After an hour, remove the pork tenderloins from the marinade. Fry them in a pan for about two minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush with the marinade. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Casserole:
Slice the eggplant into 0.5 cm thick slices. Peel and dice the tomatoes, removing seeds and pulp. Remove thyme leaves from stems. Slice the mozzarella thinly.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan, add sliced onion, sauté for about 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and thyme leaves. Reduce heat, add salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently. Salt the eggplant slices and let them sit for a while. Once they release moisture, pat them dry with paper towels. Mix 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil with hot paprika in a small bowl. Brush one side of the eggplant slices with the “paprika oil”. Grill the eggplant on a grill pan, brushing the other side with the oil mixture while grilling.
Arrange grilled eggplant in ramekins on tomato and onion sauce, top with mozzarella slices, then tomato and onion sauce again, another layer of mozzarella slices, followed by eggplant, and grated grana padano cheese on top. Place ramekins in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Serving
Remove the pork tenderloins from the oven, garnish with thyme. Sprinkle the plate with red paprika powder. Such baked tenderloin requires no sauce. Serve with casseroles from ramekins.
