members recipes

As the summer slowly slips away our thoughts turn to warming autumn dishes. With change of season, we’re looking for comfort foods, preferably without too many added calories. This autumn more and more of us are taking a leaf out of our Mediterranean neighbours’ book. Extra virgin olive oil is a key feature of the Mediterranean diet; it’s used in all sorts of cooking and is also used as a condiment at the table, for additional flavour. The recipe below demonstrates just how simple it is to create a warming, hearty dish. The extra virgin olive oil helps preserve the natural juices of the pork which adds flavour and moistness to the cooked meat. What’s more, the extra virgin olive oil in the mash not only enhances the flavour of the beans but also makes it rich and creamy.

Ingredients
Serves 4
1 pork fillet
10 rashers smoked, rindless streaky bacon
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 x 400g cans haricot beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
275g/10oz sprouting broccoli
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

Method
Trim fillet, then wrap in overlapping rashers of bacon. Place 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a pan and transfer in wrapped pork fillet, seam side down first. Fry all over to brown. Place in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for around 25 minutes or until pork is cooked. Remove from oven and leave to rest.

Drain beans and place in a bowl, mash with a sturdy fork. Place in a pan with remaining extra virgin olive oil and heat through. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. At the same time, cook broccoli in salted boiling water. Drain and reserve keeping warm.

To serve, slice the fillet into rounds and place on plates. Spoon bean mash alongside with broccoli. Pour pan juices over the pork, adding more extra virgin olive oil to the mash so it runs down onto the plate.