One of the reasons I love September is for pumpkins being firmly back on the menu.
Pumpkins are back and over at the local farmers market they are sold like they were going out of style.
It’s actually amazing how popular they have become considering pumpkins are a fairly recent addition to the German cuisine.
Originally from Latin and South America, pumpkins are known across Europe since the 16th century. However, for a long time they were merely used feeding livestock. Only over the past two decades have they turned into a culinary thought after product. And since, pumpkins have gone a long way from pumpkin soup to a hugely versatile ingredient used for all sorts of recipes, from hearty to sweet.
By the way, did you know Germany is home to one of the largest pumpkin festivals globally? Located in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart, it runs from September to early November each year, offering daily changing pumpkin-themed events.
I have long ago surrendered and jumped on the bandwagon of pumpkin everything.
This delicious pork tenderloin baked in a pumpkin-bread crust is a quite unique twist on the better-known herb crust. Add the pumpkin and mushroom puree and you have the perfect dish for an amazing autumn weeknight dinner.
It will taste great directly warm from the oven but it is also an amazing addition to any party buffet as a cold cut.
Wine Pairing
When you are looking for the best wine to pair with your pumpkin dish, the more delicate, slightly sweet taste would typically ask for a dry, tangy, and floral white. Ideal matches would be Grüner Veltliner or Viognier.
But of course, the right wine always depends on various aspects of your dish and a light red Pinot Noir works well with roasted pumpkin with herbs and spices.
Pork Tenderloin, boasting relatively mild flavours also asks for a light to medium-bodied red like Pinot Noir.
So unsurprisingly for the Pork Tenderloin in pumpkin-bread crust, I have picked a Pinot Noir from Mandia Vell winery in Mallorca, Spain.
Recipe: Pork Tenderloin in pumpkin-bread crust
Serves 4
500 g pork tenderloin
100 g all-purpose flour
100 g rye flour
7 g dry yeast
150 g butternut pumpkin
100 g chanterelle (or any other type of mushrooms)
5-6 stalks parsley, chopped
5 stalks marjoram, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
In a bowl, mix both flours with the yeast, 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper. Add 150 ml warm water and knead together until obtaining a smooth, elastic dough.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Chop the pumpkin in small pieces.
In a saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add pumpkin and cook until tender (5-10 minutes)
Cut mushrooms in slices. Add mushrooms, parsley and marjoram to the tender cooked pumpkin and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then puree coarsely.
On a work surface slightly dusted with flour, roll out the bread dough into a roughly 25 x 30 cm rectangle. Top the dough with the pumpkin-mushroom puree.
Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over high heat, then add the pork and sear for a few minutes until golden all over.
Put the pork on top of the pumpkin-bread dough, wrap dough tightly around the pork and press the ends firmly together.
Put on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for about 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven and let rest for a few minutes. Cut into slices and serve.
Carrots and Tigers 