Pork Scaloppine in a Fig Port Red Wine Sauce = Love in your mouth

My mom is awesome for so many reasons, I could write a book on how awesome she is, but today I am thankful she supports my choices in life and always encouraging me to try new things. When she believes in something, she gets behind it 100% - whether it is educating yourself, getting help with something, being honest, politics, and clearly her art. I am really lucky that I have my mom as my mom.

My mom is also awesome for treating me to the Michael Anthony's cooking class for Christmas that I have now discussed in several posts. If it hasn't been made clear, I really loved this cooking class. Moreover, I loved taking this class with my mom. I am so busy these days (sending in my bar application tomorrow, thank you very much!) that being able to learn something new with my mom was really awesome. Plus, I am not very familiar with cooking pork, so it was a complete win.

Last night, I was able to share what I learned with my mom with most of my "law school family" and that was really special to me.

On to the goodness: Michael Cirafesi calls this dish "Maiale in Salsa di Porto e Fichi." It calls for:
4-6 medallions of pork tenderloin
1/2 cup of port wine
1/2 cup dry black figs diced small
1 cup demi-glace
3 tbsp heavy cream
Salt and Pepper
1/4 cup of grape seed oil
flour for dusting

First, you cut/trim the fat off of the pork tenderloin. Then you cut it into slices, probably about 3/4 inch to an inch wide and place them aside. Then on a very sturdy surface (I have an awesome large wooden block that my dad gave me that I lined with parchment paper), pound the medallions with a meat pounder. In the cooking class, I learned that you should always pound meat with the smooth side - the spike meat tenderizers are no good! Pound the meat away from you.

This looks a lot more violent than it was. 

oh hey pounded pork tenderloin

Nice and thin and consistent

Then lightly dust with flour, salt and pepper. I learned that dusting does not mean sprinkle. It means that a little flour can be slapped on there so it has something, it should not be white and it should not be uneven.

Then you can get everything else ready.

Heat the oil in pan and cook the pork about 30 seconds a side and then put to the side. After all the pork has been cooked, add the figs. Then deglaze with the port wine and scrap the bottom of the pan to get all the goodness. I used a whisk and that worked well. Allow this simmer for about a minute and then add the cream, and let that simmer for another minute or two. Then add the pork back in and you're ready to enjoy your life forever.

I doubled the recipe because we had 8 people for dinner last night, and that gave everyone 2-3 pieces of pork and lots of yummy sauce. I also used the demi-glace I made the other day and olive oil because we didn't have grape seed oil.

dried figs, diced

my pre-cooking set up like on the cooking shows, everything ready to go!

TA DA. 

Everyone basically licked the plate. No leftovers for Katie and I.