Musing with Max: Piggly Wiggly

When I was a little girl we had a pig. Her name was Cecilia and she was already there when I was born. I loved Cecilia and thought she was a pet

I also loved all her offspring which were pink and small and had curly little tails, I thought they were the cutest things in the world. I never understood how and why their numbers used to fluctuate so much, once they got a little bigger they seemed to disappear. I guess I was loving them in more ways than I thought. When we left Cuba my father was adamant that there was no way the government was going to take his beautiful girl (not me) like they were taking everything else so before they came to do the inventory of our house and possessions (yes, they did an inventory to make sure you didn't take anything with you other than your one allotted suitcase, for those people that think Cuba's so great you need a serious education), in which Cecilia would have been included; he had her butchered and passed her out to the neighbors clandestinely because you weren't supposed to have any food other than what your monthly coupon book allowed. It was probably a very hard thing for him to do. Maybe that explains why I have always found pigs to be extremely adorable as is evident all over my house

Had enough? Me too. Maybe I'm making up for past sins or honoring Cecilia in some subliminal way. Unfortunately, not only do I think they're the cutest things I've ever seen...well not really...this is

I also think they're the most delicious things...after all being Cuban I'm born with a pork lusciousness gene, so this weekend when I wanted to make something a little special for Valentine's Day I heard oink oink, and I remembered something from Pierre Franey that I've been wanting to make for years:

Pate-stuffed pork tenderloin adapted from 60-minute Gourmet
4 servings

2 pork tenderloin
3/4 cup smooth pate (I used truffle mousse)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup dry white wine
1 tsp mustard, preferably Dijon
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup heavy cream

1. Using a sharp knife, split the tenderloins lengthwise, taking care not to cut right through.
2. Combine the pate, garlic, thyme and 1 tbsp of chives in a mixing bowl and blend well.

Spread this mixture over the cut surfaces of the pork.

Reshape the tenderloins and tie them with string at 1 inch intervals. Season with salt & pepper.

3. Heat the butter in a skillet large enough to hold the pork. Add the pork and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
4. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the sherry, wine, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to blend.

Return the pork to the skillet.
5. Bring to a boil, then cover closely and simmer 35 -40 minutes, turning the pork occasionally.
6. Remove the pork from the skillet and keep hot. Increase the heat and cook the liquid down until reduced and thickened. Add the cream and cook down about 2 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste and add the remaining chives.
7. Slice the pork, removing the string, and arrange on a serving platter spooning the sauce over it.