Tapenade and pork are a perfect match. The saltiness of the tapenade complements the soft subtle flavours of the meat. Pork fillets are no-fuss when it comes to cooking. They are small and take next to no time to cook, unlike the traditional slow-roast pork. Don’t forget it is okay to eat pork a little pink. The apple sauce finishes off the dish with a touch of sweetness. Serve this with a mash of mixed kumara and potato, and a steamed green vegetable.
Pork
| 600 g | Pork fillet (Main) |
| ½ cup | Tapenade |
| 1 Tbsp | Butter |
| 1 | Apple, sliced |
Apple sauce
| 4 | Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped |
| 1 | Lemon, zest and juice |
| ¼ tsp | Allspice |
| ¾ cup | Water |
| ¼ cup | Sugar |
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Directions
- Preheat an oven to 180C.
- To make the apple sauce, place the apples, lemon, allspice, water and sugar into a medium-sized pot. Stir and bring slowly to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes until the apples have softened and can be mashed with a fork. Remove and set aside until needed.
- Using a sharpening steel or the end of a knife, make a cavity approximately 1cm in diameter through the centre of the pork fillets. Start at one end and then the other, meeting in the middle.
- Using a spoon and your finger, fill the cavity with tapenade.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan. Brown the fillets on all sides, season with salt and pepper then place into the oven for 15 minutes until cooked through. While the fillets cook, brown the apple slices in the same pan for 1 minute each side.
- Slice the pork to serve with the fried apple and sauce.
