The 21st Century Housewife's Pork Tenderloin with Apple Balsamic Gravy – A Cook Once, Eat Twice Recipe

The recipe makes enough to serve at least four - but don’t worry if you have leftovers. They taste lovely the next day in the recipe for Fajitas I’ve posted below this one. In fact, sometimes I double this recipe just so I have extra leftovers for the fajitas! If you do double the recipe, be sure to use two roasting pans so everything cooks evenly.

You do have to cook just a little bit on the second night, roasting up the peppers to go with the fajitas, but it’s nothing too onerous. However if you’d rather you can do it the first night in a separate pan in the oven and save them for the second. Be sure to cool and refrigerate them promptly.

This dish has one of the nicest gravies I think I have ever invented. The apple and onion melt together to flavour it beautifully, and the Dijon mustard gives it a lovely tang. It’s a great summer dish because tenderloin cooks pretty quickly, so you won’t have to have the oven on for much more than an hour.

There is a fair amount of vinegar in this recipe, but don’t worry, it makes it taste absolutely delicious. When it combines with the apple and onion it gives a wonderful depth of flavour.

2 onions, red if possible

2 red skinned eating apples

2 pork tenderloins

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons flour

½ cup apple juice

about ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock

¼ teaspoon fresh or ½ teaspoon dried thyme

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 generous tablespoon redcurrant or cranberry jelly

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the 2 tbsp cider vinegar and olive oil, and marinate the tenderloin for at least an hour in the fridge.




Peel and quarter the onions, reserving one half of one onion.  Core the apples and quarter them, again reserving one half of one apple.

Place the tenderloin in a roasting pan and arrange the apple and onion quarters around it. Pour the marinade over to coat everything. Cook in the oven at about 375℉ or 190℃ (about 170℃ for a fan oven) for about 40 to 50 minutes, turning the apples and onions halfway through.

Meanwhile, finely chop the reserved half onion and half apple. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and sauté the chopped onion and apple over low to medium heat. You want them to cook slowly so they almost “melt” as they become tender. To do this you need to keep sautéing them over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about half an hour.

When the apple and onion are very soft and have cooked together, turn the heat back up to medium and add the balsamic vinegar. Let it all bubble away for a minute or so.

Sprinkle the flour over top and stir into the apples and onions. Cook for a minute, stirring constantly, just to cook the floury taste away. Gradually add the apple juice, stirring after each addition. Now gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly, until you get a nicely textured gravy. (You may need slightly more or less than the half cup.)  Stir in the mustard and thyme, and then blend in the cranberry or redcurrant jelly until you have a fairly smooth gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Check that the pork is cooked through, and when it is, slice and serve with the gravy. This is delicious served over mashed potatoes and/or with some broccoli on the side.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly and save them for:-

Yummy Tenderloin Fajitas

Leftover sliced tenderloin from the first night

1 red onion, peeled and cut in eighths

1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 yellow pepper, de-seeded and sliced

1 orange pepper, de-seeded and sliced

(It goes without saying you can vary the colours here, you just need 3 peppers!)

1 zucchini, ends removed and sliced in sticks

2 tablespoons olive oil

as much of 1 red chili, seeds removed and finely sliced, as you would like

(My family like it mild, so I add very little, but if you like it hot, go for it!)

large flour tortillas

1 cup of grated cheese (optional)

salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole for garnish

Place the onion, peppers and zucchini in a large roasting dish and drizzle the oil over top. Stir with your hands to coat the veggies with the oil. Bake at about 375℉ or 190℃ (about 170℃ for a fan oven) for about half an hour, stirring halfway through.

When the vegetables are nearly cooked, slice the tenderloin into small strips or pieces and place in a small roasting pan. I like to put about a tablespoon of water in with the pork, cover firmly with aluminum foil and heat gently in a low oven, turning occasionally until warm through – but if you are in a rush you can use a microwave. Just be sure to keep the meat warm once you have heated it.

Serve the tortillas, pork and vegetables in separate warmed dishes so everyone can assemble and wrap their own fajitas. (If you have a warming tray or plate that you can put on the table it really helps.)

Serve grated cheese, if using, salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole on the side.

The 21st Century Housewife's Delicious Chicken Marinade - A Cook Once, Eat Twice Recipe

This marinade has been a favourite in our house for a very long time. One of the things I love about it is it is great for ‘cook once, eat twice’ recipe combinations. It’s spicy, but not too much so, and kids love it. The first night you can barbecue or bake the chicken in the oven and the second you just need the oven or barbecue for about twenty minutes.

The original recipe was from a wonderful cookbook my late Aunt Trish gave me when I was in my teens called the Anne of Green Gables Cookbook, a collection of recipes by Kate Macdonald, inspired by the writings of Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’ve change the recipe over the years, modifying the proportions of many of the ingredients and adding balsamic vinegar into the mix, something that really wasn’t widely popular back in 1985 when the book was published.

Although you can use chicken legs, wings and thighs, I prefer to use it for chicken breasts, not only because my family like them best, but also because they work better for these recipes. To serve four people for two meals you need:-

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon Very Lazy Garlic (or 1 clove of garlic)

2 tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil

1 cup ketchup

½ cup balsamic vinegar

juice of half a lemon

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons brown sugar

a generous pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, and gently sauté the onion until it begins to appear translucent. Add the Very Lazy Garlic and stir it in. (If using a garlic clove, grate it into the mixture now and stir in.) Let the mixture cook for about a minute. Now add all the remaining ingredients and stir together. 

Bring the mixture just to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about ten minutes. 

You can either cool the marinade down to fridge temperature and then marinate cold chicken breasts in it for several hours in the fridge before you cook them, or just put it warm on the chicken as you are about to cook it.

Cook the chicken on the barbecue (or in the oven at about 375℉ - that’s 170 to 180℃) turning once until no pink remains inside. In the oven this will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Remember never serve leftover marinade that has been used to marinate raw meat.

On the first night, serve the chicken with baked potatoes and vegetables (we love corn on the cob and green beans with this). Reserve four of the chicken breasts for the second night, cooling them quickly and refrigerating as soon as possible. On the second you can make a delicious dinner sandwich.  I’m relying on you already having some roast vegetables in the fridge, but if you don’t you can always just use some roasted red peppers from a jar instead. 

Healthy Chicken Supper Sandwiches

To serve four people you need:-

One long baguette (I like to use wholemeal as it is better for you but any will do)

3 to 4 cooked marinated chicken breasts, sliced

about 1 cup of roasted vegetables

4 slices of Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, cut in half diagonally

Cut the baguette in four pieces and then slice each slice in half. Stuff each sandwich with some sliced chicken and some of the roast veggies and top with a slice of cheese. Wrap each sandwich tightly in foil and bake in the oven or barbecue for 20 to 25 minutes until piping hot. Serve with salad and a few good potato chips.