Pork Medallions Piccata

We are still working our way through the freezer in “No Buy January.” That means quite a few larger cuts of meat that I am finding. I am cutting them down to make smaller cuts such as the pork loin that I bought on sale a month or two ago for $1.59 a pound is now becoming pork medallions by partially thawing the loin (it is so much easier to cut if it is still a bit frozen), and then lightly pounding down the slices to a nice thin cut. This way my family is not tiring of pork loins, beef roasts, etc… and I am able to make them into different dishes!

Verdict:

This was absolutely delicious! The tartness of the lemons with the creaminess of sauce and the saltiness of the capers was perfect over the pasta. Both kids had seconds and my son claimed the leftovers for lunch the next day. This would be perfect served over spaghetti, rice, or quinoa.

My daughter, who loves vinegar and tart lemons, thought it needed a bit more lemony flavor so I gave the rest of the second lemon to squeeze over her finished dish. She gobbled it up. The rest of us thought it was lemony enough as it was. Use your best judgement for you and your family. If you are a bit afraid of the lemon flavor start with less and add more as you like.

This was served with green beans and a green salad.

Servings: ”6-8″
Time: ”15
Difficulty: ”easy”
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Ingredients:

2 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup flour
1/4 oil (vegetable or canola are fine)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 lemon, thinly sliced
2/3 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons parsley, if desired for color

Directions:

Cut the pork into 1/4″ slices. Then pound down the slices to thin.
Preheat oven to 170 degrees or low warming. Have a plate warming in the oven to hold the pork medallions.
Salt and pepper the medallions before dredging lightly with flour making sure to shake off any excess.
Warm the skillet and add enough oil to cover bottom of your pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil becomes hot sear the pork in batches in the oil. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. Remove medallions to oven when browned. Be careful that oil does not get too hot and burn the oil. Turn it down if pork turns too quickly or the oil starts to smoke.
Once all medallions are cooked lower the heat to medium. Add lemon slices to the pan and lightly brown on both sides. Add the garlic to the pan cooking for 1 minute until fragrant. Remove the lemon slices for later use. Stir up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Be careful that they do not burn as this is going to be the flavoring for your sauce. Add chicken stock and stir for 10 minutes until the stock reduces by half.
Add lemon juice and capers to the sauce. Continuing to cook and stir for several minutes. Remove the pan from the burner and stir in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any spices as necessary.
Add medallions back into the sauce and stir gently to coat all pieces. Serve over pasta or as desired with a sprinkling of parsley and the browned lemons.