This sweet, savory, and easy dish combines dried prunes (substitute figs or raisins if you’d like), big beautiful Italian olives, white wine, capers, and fresh herbs! This is a dish this is so bursting with flavor; you will make it over and over again-I promise!
1cuppitted green olivessuch as Castelvetrano or Cerignola
⅓cupcapersplus 1 Tbsp. caper brine
4bay leaves
4garlic clovespeeled, smashed
⅓cuppacked light brown sugar
2Tbsp.dried oregano
2tablespoonolive oil
1Tbsp.unsalted butter
Instructions
Pat dry the pork and season it with 1 ½ salt. Let it sit while you make the marinade.
To make the marinade, combine the 1 cup wine, ¼ olive oil, ¼ vinegar, 1 cup prunes, 1 cup olives, ⅓ cup capers and brine, 4 bay leaves, 4 cloves garlic, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoon oregano, in a large bowl. Add the pork to the marinade. (You can also place the pork and marinade in a large resealable plastic storage bag and squeeze out the air to make sure the pork is fully covered with the marinade.) Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally to be sure the marinade is getting into all sides of the pork.
Preheat oven to 325°. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry; reserve marinade. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high. Cook pork, undisturbed for a few minutes, until it is golden brown. Then repeat on the other side.
Remove the pan from heat and let the pan cool 1 minute and then pour reserved marinade around pork. Transfer pan to the center of the oven and bake, basting pork once with its sauce halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of tenderloin registers 145°, about 15–20 minutes, depending on thickness.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves. Return pan with the marinade to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and cook, stirring pan occasionally, until slightly reduced, 5-8 minutes.
Slice tenderloin in ½" slices and transfer back to a pan with the sauce and serve.
Notes
I cut the recipe in half for the 2 of us and it worked perfectly. Just pick a skillet that fits your pork without crowding it too much.
Substitute raisins, or dried figs for prunes as an option Let your pork rest on a cutting board after it's done cooking. It will ensure the juices stay inside the pork! If you want a thicker sauce, let it reduce on a low simmer while your pork is resting.