PORK TENDERLOIN CAUCHOISE

You can easily halve this recipe for a quick supper; it reheats well and can be cooked in the oven or on top of the stove.

Serves 4-6
1 tablespoons oil
15 g/2 tablespoons butter
3-4 pork tenderloins (about 1.8 kg/4 lb)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons flour
500–600 ml /2–2 ½ cups chicken or beef stock, more if needed
250 ml/1 cup white wine
2 shallots, peeled and chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
Bouquet garni
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For garnish:
60 g/¼ cup butter
1 small head celery, sliced (about 450 g/1 lb)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
450 g/1 lb mushrooms, stems trimmed level with the caps and thickly sliced
50 g/1 cup walnut halves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Shallow casserole

1. If you want to use the oven, set it at moderate 180°C/350°F. In a shallow casserole, heat the oil and butter and brown the tenderloins on all sides. Take them out, add the onions, and cook until soft but not brown. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until browned. At once add about half of the stock, with the white wine, shallots if used, garlic, bouquet garni and seasoning, and replace the tenderloins. Cover and simmer gently on top of the stove or in the heated oven for 1½-1¾ hours or until the meat is very tender, adding more stock if the mixture gets dry. Take out the tenderloins, cut them in 1-cm/3/8-in diagonal slices, and return them to the sauce.

2. For the garnish; Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the celery with salt and pepper, and press a piece of foil on top. Cover with the lid and cook very gently on top of the stove for about 15 minutes or until the celery is almost tender, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, uncovered, until tender, a few minutes longer. Stir in the walnuts and taste for seasoning. You can prepare 24 hours ahead up to his point. Keep the pork and garnish separately in the refrigerator.

3. If necessary, reheat the pork and garnish over low heat on top of the stove a short time before serving. Arrange the pork slices overlapping down one side of a platter. Skim any fat from the sauce, taste for seasoning, and spoon a little over the pork. Spoon the garnish down the other side of the dish and sprinkle with parsley. Reheat the remaining sauce and serve it separately.