I originally had the title written as “pork-stuffed Belgians” but that didn’t seem right somehow. I had a vision of a bunch of people walking around in Bruges with sausages coming out of all their pockets.
For the record, the Belgian is the name of the loaf I picked up from the Georgestown Bakery the other day. Not to be confused with the sweetened tea bread served in Belgium, this is more of a sourdough French bread baked in a shape not unlike a gridiron football. The thing is, I picked up two, because they were hot from the oven and the guy at the counter was very persuasive. The other thing is, they’re not so good the next day — a little stale. We consumed one for lunch that day, and then I had to think up what to do with the second one for dinner. That’s a lotta bread. So I kind of made this up on the fly. I’m sure there are other variations out there, and if there’s one with a nifty name, please let me know. Also it could use some tweaking so I welcome suggestions.
Preheat your oven to 450°F and spray a baking dish. Peel the membrane off one small tenderloin (enough meat for three people), just like we learned.
I lightly basted the tenderloin with a few drops of Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, malt vinegar, and hoisin sauce. Pop that sucker in the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of at least 135°F (for rare).
Meanwhile, use a mandolin to thinly slice about four small new potatoes. I sliced them into a bowl of water, to rinse the starch off.
Drain the water and pat the potatoes dry.
Thinly slice as well three small carrots. We’re working with small today.
Chop a few broccoli florets up and steam them.
Toss the potatoes and carrots into a large frying pan with a bit of olive oil and sauté on medium-high heat for a few minutes. Add in some sea salt to taste.
Add in about three tablespoons malt vinegar and three tablespoons water and reduce the heat to medium-low until the vegetables are tender.
Plop in your steamed broccoli bits.
Plop in a few spoonfuls of plum sauce and teriyaki sauce. Don’t forget another splash of the wooster sauce as well.
Now cut your loaf (I used a Belgian, but you might want to try something with a little less bread in it) in half vertically. Slice a hole in each half, being careful not to puncture the sides of the loaf. We want a little pocket.
Butter that pocket.
I thought we needed a bit more sweet in this salty meal so I spread the inside of the pocket with some lovely mango chutney as well.
At this point your tenderloin should be cooked. Plop it on a board and cut it up without allowing the meat to rest. We want the juices to run so they run straight into the bread.
Stuff pieces of the tenderloin into the pocket.
Stuff your warm vegetables in as well.
I had plenty of vegetables left over, and some meat, and that made a good lunch the next day. I never want to see bread again.