Slices of pork loin on a bed of cannellini beans and kale: this dish sounds like the kind of simple but deeply flavorful dish you’d expect to find on the fall menu of your favorite neighborhood bistro. It tastes just that wonderful, and it’s very easy to pull off, too.

The pork loin is perfectly tender, moist, and full of rosemary and thyme, and the greens are as silky as can be, but even so, the humble white beans kind of steal the show. They only cook for a few minutes, but they seem to absorb everything the dish’s rich sauce has to offer — all the aromatics, white wine, and vinegar — so that they have a wonderful, savory complexity. They also have a fine texture: They’re not the least bit dry or starchy. In fact, they’re light and almost juicy. All that from a canned bean!

Make this dish when you want to do something nice for your sweetie. It’ll look dashing under candlelight. We’d serve it with a rich, fruity red, like Bogle Pinot Noir, and a loaf of crusty bread — you’ll want to sop up all that creamy sauce.

Our tip: We usually sell 1-pound pork tenderloins in our meat cases, but our butchers will happily cut a 1 ½-pound pork tenderloin for you. Come see us at the meat counter!

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 ½ lb pork tenderloin

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

½ tsp rosemary, minced

½ tsp thyme, minced

3 Tbsp grapeseed oil, divided

1 shallot, sliced

1 carrot, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, sliced

3 cups kale

½ cup white wine

1 15-oz can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 ½ cups chicken stock

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Pat the pork loin dry with paper towels, season it with salt and pepper, and rub it with the rosemary and thyme.

2. Warm a medium skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil.

3. Gently place the pork loin in the pan, laying it down away from you, so it’s less likely to splash hot oil. Sear the pork loin on all sides, about 1 ½ minutes per side, or until it’s golden brown.

4. Transfer the pork loin to a sheet pan and set it aside.

5. Remove any burnt oil from the skillet and add the remaining grapeseed oil. Toss in the shallot and carrot and sauté for about 3 minutes.

6. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.

7. Add the kale and sauté for another 3 minutes, or until the kale begins to wilt.

8. Add the white wine and stir to deglaze the pan, and then add the cannellini beans, chicken stock, unsalted butter, and apple cider vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

9. In the meantime, transfer the pork loin to the oven and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 135º for medium doneness. Season it with salt and pepper, and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

10. Slice the pork loin into medallions and serve it hot on a bed of the braised kale and cannellini beans.

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