These two dishes will marry beautifully together. The base flavor of the different mushrooms will carry the other flavors together quite well.
Neither of these dishes is complicated. Go into the kitchen with bravado and you’ll be fine.
As to the timing, the risotto can hang out for a few minutes while you pull the pork out without suffering much. Plan to finish the risotto while the pork is resting and you’ll be pretty much perfect.
This. I try new recipes (a.k.a. experiments) only on the people who live with me. Until I have made something a few times and really honed the recipe, I am not serving it to anyone else.
When we have had people over, my rustic fare (lasagna, chili, meatloaf) always goes over better than when I try to get fancy (though my ‘oh, crap I forgot to make a sauce for the asparagus’ sauce is fantastic. It was a last minute off-the-top-of-my-head addition to a fancy meal I was serving for others and by far the best part).
I want to shop where you’re shopping if you can find a good Barolo for $25!
I have to say the Rioja suggestion is a good one - get a Reserva, not a Crianza or Joven. It’ll be in the right price range and have enough age on it to stand up to the earthy flavors you have going on with the pork. I’m a fan of Muga, but there are lots of great producers out there. CVNE , Beronia… mmm, Spanish wine!
Actually, I generally like any sorts of root vegetables with pork. In something like this, I might do a potato-parsnip mash, potato-rutabaga/turnip, potato-celeraic, or even potato-carrot. I like the starch of the potato combined with a little sweetness and flavor from something else. I also think that a mash will go well with the sauce from the pork. Or even a nice creamy colcannon (potato-cabbage).
Otherwise, roasted root vegetables are always classy and simple.
I also agree that a mushroom risotto would be fungus overload for this dish. I love mushrooms, but I don’t like dishes where the main and the side are the same general flavor profile. Contrast is good. Were I to go the risotto route, the aformentioned butternut squash risotto is a good idea, as would be a classic risotto milanese.
Hope I’m not too late but the best wine pairing for roasted pork, porcini and truffles would be a nice Pinot Noir. I would go with an Oregon (Willamette Valley) that, ideally, has a little bit of age to it (2006 or 2007 vintage).
For the salad (which I would recommend over the porcini/mushroom overkill) my first recommendation would be a nice Prosecco (trevisiol Prosecco Veneto Extra Dry) or a Domaine Ste. Michelle Blanc de Blanc (made from exclusively white grapes) or Blanc de Noirs (from red grapes - the grapes will depend on where it is from) Sparkling Wine.
I think the salad-tenderloin will be much easier to manage. But if you are looking for an impressive salad and have some time I would suggest a roasted beet salad with goat cheese dressing. Happy to provide the recipe and wine pairing if interested.
Everybody, thank you for your tips and suggestions. I’ve decided that I’m going to do the pork with the aforementioned avocado-tomato-red onion salad and mashed sweet potatoes. I’ll probably go with the Oregon pinot.
One more question: The recipe calls for 3 lbs. pork tenderloin. I’ve called several different places (including Whole Foods and the third-generation German butcher) and nobody sells a 3-lb. pork tenderloin. Can I use three 1-lb. tenderloins instead?
You can either go with a 3 lb. boneless pork loin (which will take longer to cook) or 3 1 lb. pork tenderloins. Either way, cook to desired temperature versus specific time.
I wondered about that myself, Agent Foxtrot. The recipe calling for a single 3-lb. pork tenderloin doesn’t make any sort of sense to me - I don’t think there’s any way that large of a cut of meat would be even close to done in a 10-15 minute oven roast after a sear. A one pound tenderloin, sure - no problem. But not a 3-lb one. I thought that was weird - maybe it’s a typo? A one pound tenderloin should feed four.
I read that you’ve decided on your starch, but just for sharing’s sake, I’ve had great results with this root vegetable recipe that was originally published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Honey-Glazed Root Vegetables
Serves 4
1 rutabaga, peeled and cubed
1 celery root (celeriac), peeled and cubed
1 parsnip, peeled and cubed
2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey
2 large carrots, peeled and cubed
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Not sure where you are located but Costco has very nice pork tenderloin that, with careful shopping, would easily meet the 3 pound requirement.
FWIW, I would do the Prosecco, or at least a different wine, for the salad course. In addition to the food, wow her with the wine. The Prosecco is not that expensive and, as someone who resisted sparkling wines for a long time, I can tell you that they are extremely food friendly!