Springtime in my kitchen means new and festive meal creations due to celebrating 6 birthdays within 3 short months including Easter. In my family, we try to surprise each other with new recipes for the special occasions. This particular one was made for me by my mom years ago and of course became one of our favorites. Must be cooking with white wine. :)

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1 or 2 pork tenderloins (you can also use pork lion instead)
• 1 leek, only white part chopped (you can substitute leeks with regular onion)
• 1 cup of white wine
• about 2 cups of dried prunes, halved
• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt & pepper

My mother prepared this recipe with pork lion, a bit easier to work with but I prefer the taste of the tenderloin. First, using a long, thin sharp knife, carve a hole into the pork tenderloin all the way through. Gently move the knife around to enlarge the opening, making sure not to cut through the sides. Salt and pepper your pork and use about half of your prunes to stuff the meat. You can do this from both sides, making sure you have enough prunes in the middle of your meat as well. In a non-stick skillet, heat olive oil on medium high, add leeks and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. I find that leeks cook much faster than regular onions, so be careful not to burn them. Place pork tenderloin into pan and brown both sides evenly, about 5 minutes on each side. Hopefully, by now you have your wine open and poured a little into your glass to taste. Spread the remaining prunes around pork, add the white wine, season prunes with extra salt and pepper. Cover and bring it to a simmer, then adjust heat to low. Occasionally flip your meat around, you will notice that your tenderloin will become darker and darker with a pretty purple-brown color from the prunes. Simmer it covered for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until wine evaporates, prunes become soft and your meat is cooked through but still tender. Serve it with mashed potatoes or white rice. Hopefully, you will enjoy this lovely dish with very few ingredients, the combination of the wine, onions and prunes create a heavenly taste. Happy birthday everyone! #ildikoskitchen