Pork Tenderloin with Orange & Carrots

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g pork tenderloin (1 large fillet or 2 small)
• 600 g carrots (about 6, 100 g each)
• 1 brown onion (about 100 g)
• 2 unwaxed oranges (zest of one, juice of both: about 160 ml)
• 1 tbsp honey (20 g)
• 1 chicken stock cube + 200 ml hot water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp cornflour (8 g)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 240 g basmati rice
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Saucepan and sieve
• Chopping board and knife
• Fine grater
• Citrus juicer
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Take the pork tenderloin out of the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut them into 5 mm rounds, then peel the onion and slice it thinly.
2. Wash the oranges, grate the zest of one, then squeeze both to get about 160 ml juice and set aside 2 tbsp of it in a bowl. Pat the tenderloin dry, remove the thin, shiny white membrane with the tip of the knife, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Sear the tenderloin for 6 to 8 minutes, turning it regularly, until well browned on all sides. Turn it with tongs or two spoons, without piercing it, then set aside on a plate.
4. Lower to a medium heat and fry the onion and carrots for 5 minutes in the same casserole dish, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon: they'll give the sauce all its flavour.
5. Crumble the stock cube into the hot water. Pour the orange juice, stock, honey, zest and thyme into the casserole dish, stir and bring to a simmer. Put the tenderloin back on top of the carrots, with the juices it has released on the plate.
6. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes over a low heat (15 minutes for 2 small fillets), turning the meat halfway through. It's ready when the centre is still slightly pink (63 °C on a thermometer): overcooked, pork tenderloin turns dry and stringy.
7. Meanwhile, cook the rice for 10 to 11 minutes in a large pan of boiling salted water, then drain. Take out the tenderloin, wrap it in foil and leave it to rest for 5 minutes so it stays juicy.
8. Mix the cornflour with the 2 tbsp reserved orange juice, pour it into the casserole dish and let it bubble for 2 to 3 minutes over a medium heat, stirring, until the sauce coats the back of the spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
9. Slice the tenderloin into 1.5 cm thick medallions. Serve with the rice and the tender carrots, then spoon over plenty of piping hot orange sauce.