Pork Provencale

This pork tenderloin gets the Provencal treatment with a bold olive-caper-anchovy puree that serves as both a flavor base and a sauce. The combination (essentially a tapenade) is a cornerstone of southern French cooking, and its briny, salty intensity pairs beautifully with the mild, lean pork.

The method is restaurant-style: sear the peppered tenderloin first to build a brown crust, dust with flour, coat in bread crumbs, and finish in a hot oven. The bread crumb coating crisps up during baking, creating a golden, crunchy exterior around the juicy, pink center.

The tapenade puree of black olives, capers, and anchovies brings serious umami. Anchovies melt away during puréeing and add a deep savory note without tasting fishy. If you think you don’t like anchovies, this is the dish that changes your mind. They disappear into the sauce and amplify everything else.

Thirty minutes start to finish for a dish that looks and tastes like it came from a bistro in Provence.

Chef Tips

• Sear the tenderloin on all sides over high heat before coating. The crust adds flavor and texture that the bread crumbs alone can’t achieve.
• Flour before bread crumbs. The light flour dusting gives the bread crumbs something to grip, so the coating sticks during baking instead of sliding off.
• Let the pork rest 5 minutes after pulling from the oven. Tenderloin is lean and dries out fast if you slice it immediately.
• Puree the tapenade smooth or leave it slightly chunky depending on your preference. Both work well as a sauce.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the tapenade for a sharper, more pungent sauce.
• Mix fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary) into the bread crumbs for a more aromatic crust.
• Serve sliced over a bed of ratatouille for a fully Provencal plate.