Pancetta wrapped pork tenderloin

By Mary Berg

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Dollars to doughnuts, you’ll probably be able to find pork tenderloin on sale at one of your local grocery stores. If it’s one of those odd weeks and it doesn’t happen to be on sale, boneless skinless chicken breasts work perfectly in this recipe and are often on special – it’s like grocery stores rotate these two meats in their flyers! Both pork tenderloin and chicken breasts are great to buy in bulk as they freeze beautifully, defrost overnight in the fridge, and are super price conscious!

This recipe can be made for just around $13.

SERVES

35 Mins

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 – 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
16 slices (about 100 grams) of thinly sliced mild pancetta
2 pork tenderloins, about 450 grams each

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking or roasting pan with foil. Place a rack inside the pan and lightly grease with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, rosemary, thyme, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.
Lay out four slices of the thinly sliced pancetta onto a cutting board or another work surface so that they overlap slightly and are about the length of one of your pork tenderloins. Layout another four slices below so that they slightly overlap with the first row giving you a little 2x4 mat of pancetta. Evenly spread half of the herb and garlic mixture over the pancetta and place one of the pork tenderloin along the bottom. Roll the pork tenderloin up in the pancetta and place on the greased rack-lined pan.
Repeat the above steps with the second pork tenderloin and place alongside the first leaving at least a five centimeter gap between the two.
All of this can be prepared up to a day in advance so feel free to plan ahead if you’re stretched for time!
Pop the pork tenderloin into the preheated oven and roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145F.
Let the pork tenderloin rest for a few minutes before slicing into 2.5 centimeter pieces. Enjoy with some nice and creamy polenta, a salad, or your family’s favourite side!

*If you would rather use chicken for this recipe, I would suggest using three breasts for four people and follow these adjustments to the method:

Preheat your oven to 400F and prepare your pan.
Prepare the herb and garlic mixture as listed above.
Lay the pancetta out in a 2x2 fashion with one extra piece of pancetta centred at the top. Repeat so you have three.
Spread a third of the garlic and herb mixture over each and place a chicken breast presentation side down on top with the narrow pointed end over the one slice of pancetta. Wrap the pancetta around the chicken and roast for 25 – 35 minutes or until juices run clear and the internal temperature is 160F.
Let the chicken rest a few minutes and slice into one to two centimeter pieces

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