Sunset Pork Scaloppine

My scaloppine ala Sunset magazine

The Sunset original 

Still working on that final Sunset Magazine recipe section. I feel like I'm going through a divorce and hanging on sentimentally to the last vestige of intimacy. Parting is such sweet sorrow. 

I used a pork tenderloin cut into medallions instead of the thin pork chops specified in the recipe. Dijon mustard and butter were smeared on the medallions before cooking and added robust and hearty flavor to the meat. It stood up nicly to the intensely flavored fried sage leaves. The crispiness of the fried leaves was a good texture contrast to the super-tender medallions which I bashed thoroughly with the back of my cleaver before doing a quick saute. You want thin and yielding for this cooking method. Everything, no matter how tough in the beginning, eventually succumbs to a decent cleaver beating. Hmmm...this statement could join the ranks of those awful platitudes posted on Facebook every 5 minutes. All it needs is an illustration with dogs sporting studded collars, hard-rock tattooed guys on motorcycles etc., etc.

 Everything, no matter how tough in the beginning, eventually succumbs to a decent cleaver beating. 

Cannellini beans are often forgotten around here. Richard says he's "never met a bean he doesn't like," so there's no reason to avoid them. I usually use these beans with lots of chopped parsley, olive oil, minced onion and a squeeze of lemon in a sort of room-temperature Mediterranean side dish, but I forget about how wonderfully they sop up the flavor of anything they're mixed with, particularly if the mixture is warm. Sauteed onion, lots of garlic, minced fresh sage (to echo the fried pieces), lemon zest and a diced tomato in this recipe made a perfect foil for the pork. Most of the time you can get cannellinis for about $.99 a can. A bargain.

Okay Sunset - the recipe was logical, time estimate about right! Finished product gets a thumbs up.

About my photo: I over-did the sage leaves on the pork. The cherry tomato in my beans looks like a maraschino cherry - scourge of the world!!! I like my shallow bowl better than their plate. My medallions, before I added the sage, looked better than their pork chops (you'll have to trust me on that).