Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Balsamic Caper Reduction (Keto Friendly)

The last night before flying back to Italy after our three month stay in California we enjoyed a family dinner with Jeff’s parents. Family dinners are a favorite pastime on both sides of the family, both mine and Jeff’s. We love gathering around the table over a delicious meal and talking the evening away. My father in law came up with a new recipe to try and us girls got busy in the kitchen to bring it to life.

It was Pork Tenderloin Medallions in a balsamic caper reduction and it was a hit! We cut the pork tenderloins into medallions and dredged them in flour and spices before sautéing them on both sides in ghee (clarified butter). As the medallions of pork browned up in the skillet we busied ourselves with preparing the sides. My mother in law prepared a salad of baby greens, celery and apples while I peeled sweet potatoes for roasting in the oven. A little swirl of olive oil, a grind of salt and pepper and a couple of snips of rosemary from the garden and the potatoes were slid into the oven for roasting.

I turned my attention back to the pork tenderloin sizzling in the skillet and added the broth and balsamic vinegar then brought it to a boil and allowed it to reduce until the meat was no longer pink in the middle. I removed the pork tenderloin medallions from the skillet, arranged them on a plate while the balsamic continued to reduce in the skillet. When it had reduced down to a thick syrup I poured it over the medallions and presented it to the hungry family that had assembled there.

We sat down to our feast which included a first course of steamed artichokes with a garlic lemon aioli. We all dug in like a pack of lions, it still amazes me that kids love artichokes, all of my nephews and nieces love them! Is it the fun of plucking the leaves and dipping them in sauce or is it actually the deliciousness of the creamy, nutty artichoke meat? Leaf after leaf we study this topic deeply until we are rewarded with the heart of the artichoke. Yes, we all surmise, it’s definitely the fact that they are simply delicious….

The Pork Tenderloin was also delicious and had a “fancy” dinner feel that would be great for guests. Use the highest quality balsamic you have as that will affect the sweetness of the dish. If you want to make this more Keto friendly you could omit the flour and fry the pork medallions with just salt and pepper.

Hmmmm, as I type this up in my hotel room in Washington DC en route to Italy, I can still taste the perfect flavor combination of sweetly glazed pork medallions and feel the warmth of family….

Pork Tenderloin Medallions in Balsamic Caper Reduction

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin
1/4 cup flour (omit for Keto)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons oil for frying
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons capers
lemon zest

Instructions:

Slice the pork tenderloin into medallions about an inch and a half thick.
Prepare a plate or plastic bag with flour, salt and pepper, toss the pork slices in the flour to coat evenly.
Prepare a skillet with oil over medium high heat to fry the pork slices
Fry the pork slices until golden on both sides
Add the broth and vinegar, bring to a low boil and cook about 4 minutes longer until the pork is no longer pink on the inside. Remove the pork from the skillet and arrange on a plate.
Add the capers and lemon zest and continue to reduce the vinegar until it is a thickened syrup. Drizzle on the top of the pork, top with more lemon zest and serve