This is one of Egizia and Franca’s favorite recipes.The lean pork cooks quickly, and the fresh orange adds a touch of sweetness and acidity that is refreshing in the hot summer months. Although navel oranges will work, they are too sweet for best results. A better choice are Valencia oranges or, for an exotic touch, red or “blood” oranges.
Filetto di Maiale All’Arancio
Ingredients
Two pork tenderloins, approximately 2 1/2 pounds
2 medium sized oranges
1-2 tsp green peppercorns
2-3 cloves garlic
fresh rosemary
fresh ground black pepper
salt
olive oil
1 bay leaf (optional)
Directions
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Cut one orange into wedges approximately 1/2 inch thick. Laying out the tenderloins, make a series of cuts in the meat approximately 1 1/2 inch apart (2-3 cm), and 1/2 to 2/3 the thickness of the tenderloin. Place an orange wedge, rind facing out, into each cut in the meat. Season the tenderloins with salt and black pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch, or slightly larger, baking dish, and arrange the tenderloins so that they do not touch each other. Add the cloves of garlic, slighly crushed, the rosemary, cut into smaller pieces, and sprinkle with the green peppercorns. Cook at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes, turning the tenderloins over every 10 minutes or so to coat them in the cooking juices, until a meat thermometer inserted into the pork registers 140F. Carryover will take the internal temperature up into the safe zone of 145F.
Remove from the oven, tent with tin foil, and let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the remaining orange into wedges or slices. Discard the cooked orange. Slice the meat, arrange on a serving platter, garnish with the orange slices, and season with the reserved cooking juices. Serve warm.
Buon appetito!
