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Sit Down Sunday Dinner: Walnut-Pesto-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Broccoli, Potatoes and Toasted Cheese Ciabatta

1 Comment
Sit Down Sunday Dinner. Do families still do that? I hope so. 
 
Some of my best memories are of Sunday Dinner at Tom Bergfeld’s grandma’s house in Fresno. She was famous for her pot roast! She made it every Sunday for the entire Bergfeld clan. But the most amazing part was she cooked the whole meal all by herself until she was in her 80’s!
 
For some unknown reason, grandma had a Boston accent, even though she was born and raised in Berkeley, California and had never been to Boston or even out of California. We always got a laugh when she said “pot roast” because it sounded like “part-roast”. Her great-grandchildren always wondered what happened to the other “part” of the roast. 
 
I never could make a pot roast as good as hers, but I think she would enjoy this Walnut-Pesto-Crusted Pork Tenderloin. 
 
Try it out on your family this weekend and start your own Sit Down Sunday Dinner Tradition.
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 lbs.
  • 1 8oz. container pesto
  • 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, ground
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 6 red potatoes
  • 3 pats of butter, divided
  • chopped parsley
  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • 2 small ciabatta rolls
  • handful grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350.
 
Generously rub the tenderloin with the pesto.

Lightly toast the walnuts in a saute pan on medium heat on the stove just until fragrant, then put them in a food processor to grind.

Press walnuts into the pesto to for a crust and place in an oven proof baking dish. Bake at 350 until the internal temperature is 145. 
Remove from baking dish and let rest while you make the au jus.
Pour chicken broth into the hot pan and scape up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to a small sauce pan and heat on top of the stove. 
Slice the meat, arrange on a platter and pour au jus over it. 

The red potatoes are super simple to make. You can put them in a large pot and boil on the stove or you can cook them in the microwave. Just put them in a microwave safe bowl, cover completely with water and cook on high for about 15 minutes or until a knife goes in smoothly. While they’re still hot, cut in half, and toss in the butter, then garnish with chopped parsley.

The broccoli is also easy to make. You can steam it, boil or roast it. I steamed this batch, but it’s really good roasted. 

The ciabatta bread made this dinner special–and it was good for sopping up the sauce. Just lightly butter the bread, sprinkle a little fresh Parmesan cheese on top and put under the broiler until the cheese melts and the edges are crispy.

This is just one idea for a Sit Down Sunday Dinner with your family. I’d love for you to share yours with me–just add a comment to the bottom of this blog. I look forward to hearing from you.

Categories: Main Dishes, Pork, Potatoes, Sides

Tags: , , , ,

1 reply ›

  1. Anonymous
    February 17, 2013 • 5:46 am

    Apparently your phone doesn't work whilst cooking, Bunny back in Turlock,or Rubicon to you. Passed Tom Jannino on the the freeway,he was on his cell phone.

    Reply ↓

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