Orange Pesto-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Fig Glaze
Why I Love This Recipe
I developed this for a friend who was looking for recipe he could use for a Carribean-themed party he was hosting.
Notes: May substitute orange marmalade or any other jam for the fig jam
Ingredients You'll Need
1 pound pork tenderloin
1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, good quality
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fig jam/preserves, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 450º.
In food processor, combine basil, orange peel and garlic. Cover and process until finely chopped. Add olive oil, orange juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Process a few seconds or until a paste is formed.
Slice pork in half, lengthwise, cutting to, but not through, other sides. Open the halves, laying pork flat. Place pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet. Spread pesto over pork, leaving a 1/2 inch margin around outside edges. Roll up the pork, from the long edge and secure with twine or silicone bands at 2-inch intervals. Sprinkle pork with the salt and pepper, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or on a silicone mat.
Bake for 20 minutes. Brush jam/preserves over the pork. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes.
When pork is ready, remove twine or bands; cut into 1 inch-thick slices.
