Please tell me I haven’t lost you because of the word “Prunes” in the title. Because this is one fabulous recipe you’ll want in your repertoire. It’s easy to make, cooks really quickly, and just explodes with flavor. My husband, who normally wouldn’t touch a prune with a 10 foot pole, *loves* this dish. In fact, he darn near swoons over it. You will too:)
The key to success here is cutting the pork tenderloin into thin slices (1/4″ thick) and cooking quickly in a very hot skillet. The way to tell that the pork slices are ready to be turned is that the outer edges of each piece will turn much paler than the middle of the pork. When you have a nice ring around the slice of pork tenderloin it is ready to be turned. The second side will not take as long to cook as the first side.
Pork with Prunes, Olives and Capers (adapted from Good Housekeeping, January 1996)
Serves 3 -4
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pork tenderloin (1 lb.), cut into 1/4″ pieces
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/5 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. capers, drained
- In plastic food storage bag, combine brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic; add pork tenderloin pieces. Smoosh* contents so that the pork pieces are covered with the sugar mixture. Let sit 10 minutes, smoosh again (the sugar would have dissolved by then and the mixture will better coat the pieces of pork).
- In a small bowl mix together the wine, vinegar, cornstarch and oregano until well blended. Set aside.
- In nonstick, 12″ skillet over med-high heat, heat olive oil. Add pork slices and cook until pieces are bordered with a pale ring around them, about 3-4 minutes. Turn over and cook and other 2 -3 minutes. (it might take a bit more or less depending how hot your skillet i.) Remove pork to a plate.
- Add wine mixture to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1 minutes. Return pork slices to skillet; add prunes, olives and capers; heat through. Serve and enjoy!
* technical term for: mixing contents well that are in a sealed baggie.
**This dish is delicious over rice or egg noodles.
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SallyBR says
I love prunes in savory dishes, don’t understand why they have such a bad reputation… 🙂
Plus, olives and capers are my favorite flavors too… awesome recipe, goes into my “to try soon” files!