Pork Tenderloin Wild Mushrooms

Instructions

1. Make the spice rub by putting the dried porcini mushrooms in a spice grinder and grind them into a powder. You can also buy mushroom powder. Combine the mushroom, fennel, garlic, and onion powder in a small bowl and mix well. Season the pork tenderloin with a generous pinch of salt and spice rub all over and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make the polenta by bringing the water to a boil in a medium size pot. Add the cornmeal along with 1 teaspoon of salt and a couple cracks of pepper. Whisk well and simmer the mixture on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, whisking often. Give the mixture a taste after 10 minutes, it will definitely need more salt. After 20 minutes the mixture should have a thick consistency and the texture should be creamy. Turn the heat off, stir in the butter and cheese, set aside.
3. Pre-heat oven to 400 F and pre-heat a cast iron pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of oil to the pan and then add the pork tenderloin. Scatter the wild mushroom around the pork tenderloin and sear the pork for 3 minutes, or until well browned. Flip the pork and immediately transfer the entire pan to the oven and cook until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F, about 15 minutes. Make sure to cook pork tenderloin until an instant-read thermometer reaches between 145 degrees F and 160 degrees F. Remove pork tenderloin and mushrooms from the pan and allow the pork to rest for 3-5 minutes so the juices can redistribute.
4. Slice the pork tenderloin and serve with the mushroom and polenta, enjoy!