Pork Medallions in Mushroom-Cream Sauce on Spätzle
This dish can be found in a wide number of variations throughout southern Germany. A few years ago, we were traveling through Bavaria and every single time we ate out, we ordered this dish. We just loved it.
Needless to say, this dish is rather beige in appearance and hence, makes a perfect addition to Mostly Beige. It's easy to make, comes together quickly, uses simple ingredients – and packs a very flavorful punch.
In other words, you can't go wrong!
You will notice that I serve this with Spätzle – a dish previously introduced on this site. For your convenience, I have copied the recipe for Spätzle. However, if you don't feel like making them, you can serve these medallions with store-bought Spätzle, with Tagliatelle, or even with home-fried potatoes.
If you do decide to make fresh Spätzle, prepare them first since the batter needs to rest for 30 minutes before you can use it.
Ingredients:
Pork Medallions:
1 ½ lbs. Pork tenderloin.
½ cup plus (separately) 1 tbs. All-purpose Flour
3 Tbs. Canola Oil.
2 strips of Bacon, diced
1 Leek, thinly sliced.
4 oz. Cremini Mushrooms, thinly sliced.
½ cup White Wine.
1 cup Cream.
½ tsp. dried Thyme.
A tiny pinch of Cayenne Pepper.
Salt.
White Pepper.
A pinch of Sugar.
1 Tbs. Butter.
1 Tbs. Parsley, chopped.
Spätzle:
2 cups All-purpose Flour.
Dash of Salt.
4 Eggs.
1 cup of Water.
1 Tbs of butter (to be used once the Spätzle are cooked)
Let's get started:
Spätzle:
Add all ingredients to a stand mixer (such as a KitchenAid) and mix ingredients until a smooth batter results. Let sit undisturbed for 30 minutes.
Pork Medallions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the pork tenderloin under running water. Pat dry.
Remove all fat and visible veins from the tenderloin.
Slice tenderloin into ¾ inch thick pieces.
Sprinkle the resulting medallions with salt and pepper to taste.
Dust the medallions with the flour until completely coated.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add all the pork medallions.
Let brown for about a minute to a minute and a half.
Turn over and let brown for another minute to a minute and a half.
Remove the medallions from the pan and wrap in aluminum foil.
Place the medallions in the preheated oven
Turn oven OFF – you simply want the medallions to keep warm....
Add the bacon pieces to the hot pan.
Reduce heat to medium-high.
Fry bacon until it begins to turn slightly golden – but only slightly – stirring constantly.
Add the mushrooms and the leek.
Let fry for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the white wine, stir, and let come to a boil.
Let some of the wine cook off.
Add the cream and stir.
When the sauce comes to a slight boil, reduce heat to a simmer.
Add the thyme, pinch of Cayenne, pinch of sugar, and Salt and White Pepper to taste.
Stir until well blended.
Melt the tablespoon of butter (I simply put it in the microwave for 30 seconds!).
Add the teaspoon of flour to the liquid butter, and stir until the flour has dissolved.
Add the butter/flour mixture to the sauce – this will make the sauce thicker.
Stir and check for seasoning.
Remove the pork medallions from the oven and place them in the sauce.
Coat the medallions with the sauce and cover the pan.
Let simmer over very low heat while you cook the Spätzle or whatever accompaniment you have chosen.
Cooking the Spätzle:
Heat a large (and I mean it) pot with salted water to a boil.
Place your spätzle maker on top of the pot, add some of the batter to the receptacle of the spätzle maker, and start sliding the receptacle back and forth. You'll find small pasta spätzle fall into the water below. Don't worry if they keep falling on top of each other – they will not stick to each other.
When all the batter has been used up, stir the Spätzle a few times and let boil over low for about three minutes. The Spätzle don't take very long to cook.
Drain the Spätzle in a colander, put them back into the pot, and add the Tablespoon of butter, stir.
The butter will prevent the Spätzle from sticking together.
