Pork Tenderloin Stew

How to make it

1. Trim the silver skin off the pork tenderloin with a thin knife, and cut the meat into 2 cm slices. Pat the slices dry with paper towels so they brown instead of steaming in the pan. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Silver skin is connective tissue that won't soften in a short braise — it shrinks and makes the slices curl and chew tough. Slide the knife under it and angle the blade slightly upward so you lift skin, not meat.
2. Put the diced bacon in a cold, dry sauté pan and cook over medium heat until the fat has rendered clear and the pieces are crispy and golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind in the pan.
3. Turn up the heat to high and sear the tenderloin slices in the bacon fat in two batches, so the heat stays high and the meat browns instead of releasing its juices. Sear each batch only until the surfaces have taken color and the slices still give when you press them. Transfer the slices to a platter once they have a golden crust on both sides.
4. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the onion wedges in the same pan until they are translucent and have picked up color from the browned bits on the bottom.
5. Add the butter and brown the quartered mushrooms over high heat until their liquid has evaporated and the edges are golden.
   Chef's tip Mushrooms are mostly water, and nothing browns until that water has boiled off — expect them to look pale and wet for the first several minutes. The sound tells you: wet bubbling turns to a dry crackle right before the edges colour.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and let it cook for 1 minute, until it darkens and smells sweet — the cooking takes the raw acidity out of it.
   Chef's tip The paste scorches easily on the dry bottom of the pan, so stir it the whole minute and watch the color: deep red going brownish is right, black brings a bitterness the sauce never loses.
7. Pour in the chicken stock and scrape the bottom free of browned bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce the liquid for 5 minutes, until only a thin, glossy layer remains in the bottom.
8. Pour in the heavy cream and add the thyme sprigs to the sauce. Let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and flows slowly off the spoon. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Keep it at a lazy simmer with a few slow bubbles; a hard boil can break cream, and the thickening comes from evaporation anyway. It sets further off the heat, so stop while it's a shade thinner than you want.
9. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until the rinse water runs clear. Bring the measured water to a boil with the salt in a pot.
10. Add the rice to the boiling water, cover with a lid and cook over low heat until the water has been fully absorbed. ⏱ 10 min · passive
    Chef's tip Steam trapped under the lid does the cooking, and every peek lets it out — you should see only a faint wisp at the rim, not a rattling boil. If it's hissing hard, the heat is too high and the bottom will catch.
11. Remove the rice pot from the heat and let the rice sit covered for 5 minutes, so it steams through and becomes fluffy. Fluff it with a fork. ⏱ 5 min · passive
12. Return the tenderloin slices and the crispy bacon pieces to the sauce along with the meat juices from the platter, and let it heat through for 5 minutes, until the meat is cooked through with no pink center. Fish out the thyme sprigs, and season to taste with salt and pepper — the bacon and stock already add salt, so taste before adding more.
    Chef's tip The sauce should barely shiver — if it boils, the juices get squeezed out of the lean tenderloin and the slices turn dry and stringy. The meat should be just white all the way through, no further.
13. Divide the rice among deep plates and ladle the tenderloin stew over top, so the sauce pools around the rice. Sprinkle the coarsely chopped parsley on top.