Stuck for a midweek (or weekend) dinner that’s healthy, nourishing and the right side of indulgent? Try our recipe for pork tenderloin with apple and mustard sauce – which cooks in under 30 minutes. We’ll show you how…

Pork fillet, also known as pork tenderloin, is one of the leanest cuts available, but it’s also full of flavour – if cooked properly. Cheaper than beef fillet and far fancier than a chicken fillet, why not splash out on pork fillet and serve it with some leafy greens and a big dollop of apple sauce, spiked with mustard and spices.

fruit people pork fillet 3

🐖 Pork Fillet with Apple Sauce 🍏

Serves two

Ingredients

  • 400-500g pork fillet
  • 30g butter
  • 1 tbsp strong Irish mustard
  • 2 tsp flour
  • 2 tsp mustard powder
  • 2 medium cooking apples (or large green eating apples)
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 3 cloves, 1 small star anise and 1/4 a cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp herbs de Provence (or your preferred dried green herbs)
  • Seasonal greens, to serve

pork fillet fruit people 1

Method

1. For the apple sauce, cook all the ingredients in a small saucepan with about 75ml of water. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes until the apple is soft and the consistency of lumpy jam. Remove from the heat, take out the spices and mash (pass through a sieve if you prefer it silky smooth).

2. Trim the pork fillet of any excess fat or sinew (unless you can ask your butcher to do this for you) and pre-heat the oven to 180°C (170°C fan, gas mark 4).

3. Heat the butter on a medium-high heat in a frying pan until it begins to foam, then add the pork loin and brown on all sides; it helps to hold the pork against the sides of the pan too, and baste with the buttery oil to encourage browning and to speed up the process.

4. When lightly golden all over, lift out the pork and place on a rack atop a roasting tin and transfer to the oven to roast for 8 – 10 minutes.

5. When done, take out and cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes, your pork should be just cooked all the way through with just a hint of pinkness in the centre.

6. As the pork is resting, add 2 tsp of flour to the pork and butter juices in the pan and stir to make a roux. Cook out the flour mixture for one minute before adding around 75ml of water, whisking in continuously until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Add the mustard powder, herbs and apple sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Slacken with the lemon juice for a burst of freshness. To make it extra rich, add a little single cream (off the heat) or to amp up the flavour replace the water with chicken or pork stock if you have it handy.

7. Carve the meat into 1″ thick rounds and serve with the spiced apple sauce poured over and on the side. This dish is delicious with some leafy, seasonal greens (cabbage, cavolo nero, kale or spinach) or a hearty carbohydrate like colcannon or champ. Just as good with boiled brown rice and broccoli, too 👍🏻.

fruit people pork fillet 2

Click here for more Fruit People recipes!