Pork Tenderloin Wrapped In Proscuitto

As I was web surfing for food photography, I came across a beautiful photo of a pork loin wrapped in prosciutto on a photographer's web site. It made my mouth water so I decided to try it myself. My photos certainly don't look as nice, but the pork was tasty. It is not difficult to prepare, but you do have to do some prep work to get the spinach and mushroom layers ready, and to wrap the pork. In the end, it was nice to have everything all wrapped up in one neat package. I would recommend this for a weekend dinner when you have a little more time to put it together or on a weeknight when you can do some prep in advance. The results are delicious. I served it with a simple green salad. Enjoy!

Adapted from adrianamullenphotographyblog.com.


Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
Two 3/4 to 1 pound pork tenderloins
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and chopped
2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
11 ounces fresh spinach
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces prosciutto
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
Other
kitchen twine


Preparation

Tuck small ends under to make tenderloin uniformly thick.

Compress spinach on top of the tenderloins.

Compress mushroom layer on top of spinach.

Place prosciutto slices across the tenderloins
and tie with kitchen twine. Tuck rosemary under the twine.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 6 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add beef stock, increase heat to medium high and simmer until almost all of the liquid cooks off, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool.
3. While mushrooms cook, steam the spinach by placing in a steamer insert over a pan of simmering water. Add a little at a time until it begins to wilt, then continue adding spinach in batches until it is all steamed. Transfer to a collander to drain, then squeeze in a paper towel until the moisture is removed.
4. Lie tenderloins out on a cutting board. Tuck any small ends under to make it a uniform thickness. Season with salt and pepper. 
5. Divide the spinach between the two tenderloins and arrange it in a layer across the top. Compress the spinach so that it is firmly packed on top of the pork. 
6. Divide the mushroom mixture and spread it over the spinach. Compress it so that it is in a firm, tight cylinder. 
7. Place prosciutto slices across the tenderloins. Tuck the ends underneath, then tie roast securely with kitchen twine.
8. Tuck rosemary sprigs under the twine.
9. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 45 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 140 degrees F. Remove from oven and let rest under loosely tented foil for 10-20 minutes.
10. Slice in 1/2-inch thick slices. If desired, serve with a green salad or your favorite veggie side.