Pork fillets with Parma ham and olives

I published a pork fillet casserole recipe a little while ago, but I actually bought too much at the time and had two lovely fillets left over. I wanted to make an easy dish that would require little-to-no effort but that would still be very impressive. I love olives and cream together and go gaga for anything wrapped in Parma ham so I decided to combine the two loves and it worked a treat

The whole thing will take you half an hour from start to finish and, if you want to make it an hour or so in advance, the pork will sit happily in the sauce without drying out.

Pork fillets with Parma ham and olives

Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 pork fillets (approx 700g)
4 pieces parma ham
125ml cream
125ml chicken stock
100g pimento stuffed green olives (200g packet with brine)
fresh thyme
salt and pepper

Butter bean mash and green beans/mange tout to serve

Method:
Preheat oven to 190*C
Wrap the slices of parma ham around the pork fillets and season with salt and pepper.
Put a non-stick pan on high heat, pour in a drizzle of olive oil and brown the fillets on all sides. (approx 5 min)
Put the fillets into a casserole dish with the olives and a few sprigs of thyme.
Mix together cream and stock and pout over the fillets. Season with a little salt and pepper and cover.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes* (mine only took 15), take out and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving in thick slices with mash and spoonfuls of the creamy sauce.

*To check if the pork is cooked through; gently press the fillet all over with your index finger - it should feel the same all over, but if the centre is softer than the sides then it needs a few more minutes in the oven.

Balsamic and tomato pork casserole

I always have a little chuckle with myself when trying to come up with names for my dishes. (I work alone so I don't have the option of sharing my hilarious ramblings with anyone else) You see, the one pictured above is: 'a balsamic and smoked paprika pork fillet casserole with tomato and red peppers' but that just sounds ridiculous, I might as well copy and paste the ingredients list or call it 'pork fillet with 9 other things'. You have to sum it up in a way that explains the dish, like naming a child in a way, as you want its name to represent all of its characteristics - but realistically if I called it 'Andrea' people would be right to want to put me in the loony bin*.You want something simple, but not as unappealing as 'tomato pork' or 'pork thing'. So you have another cup of coffee and sigh a bit more and come up with: 'Balsamic and tomato pork casserole' (personally I think 'Andrea' sounds better).

It's delicious (although I tend to say everything I make is delicious, I hope I am not starting to sound vein, if I am, I apologize) But you must take my word for it and make it with the Butter Bean Mash as an accompaniment - it knocks the socks off normal mash and takes 2 minutes - literally 2 minutes - to make.

*(I don't have children and this was meant to be funny, so to all of you out there with children I was making a joke, not trying to equate naming my food with the countless hours you all spent finding names for your beautiful bundles of joy)

Balsamic and tomato pork casserole

Ingredients: (serves 4)

2 300-350g pork fillets

60ml balsamic

Olive oil

2 onions (peeled and sliced)

2 red peppers (cored and sliced)

salt

1 tin tomatoes (cut up)

1 cup veg/chicken stock

30g sugar
1tsp smoked paprika (if you can't get smoked, you can use normal paprika)
1tsp thyme

Mashed potato or butter bean mash to serve

Method:
Preheat oven to 190*C
Put a non-stick pan on high heat.
Season the pork fillets with salt and black pepper and, once the pan is almost smoking, brown in the pan for 2 minutes on each side. Pour 1/2 the balsamic (30ml) into the pan with the fillets and turn the pork to coat as the balsamic reduces to a syrup. (This will take approx 4 minutes)

Put the pork fillets into a med/large casserole dish and set aside.

Using the same pan, add a little olive oil and then the onions, peppers and a little salt and fry for about 8 minutes, tossing continuously, until slightly caramelised and softened.

Add the tinned tomatoes, stock, sugar and balsamic and simmer to reduce for a further 10 minutes.
Pour on top of the pork fillets, sprinkle over the thyme and smoked paprika and cover with a lid/foil.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes*.
Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Cut the fillet into portions and serve with butter bean mash. (See below)

*To tell if the pork is cooked through, simply press different areas of the fillet gently with your index finger, all areas should feel the same i.e. slightly firm - if the centre of the fillet is much softer than the ends then it needs a few more minutes in the oven.

Butter bean mash

2 tins butter beans (drained)
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove (thinly sliced)

Place a small sauce pan on medium heat and pour in the butter beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Mash as you heat the mixture for 2-3 minutes, then cover and set aside.