The Annual Sweetheart Dinner

Sixteen years ago, when we had a newborn daughter, no babysitter, and no reservations for a table at a restaurant, we decided to make a really nice dinner at home and invite the grandparents to come, too. This was one of the best decisions we ever made: we didn't have to think about Valentine's Day until the day actually happened, we didn't have to think about which restaurant to reserve a table at, we didn't have to dress up unless we wanted to, we didn't have to schedule a babysitter and pay her, we could eat and drink whatever we wanted and could afford, and, best of all, could spend it in the company of people who really mattered to us, playing music that we thoroughly enjoyed. Sixteen years ago today was the day we "invented" our "Sweetheart Dinner." 

I think this year we actually copied what we made 16 years ago, even though I don't recall what side dishes we served. The main dish, though, was pork tenderloin in yogurt sauce, a dish that was very tasty, but that I haven't made since. I lost the original recipe, but pieced together something from varying sources and this is what I came up with:

Pork Tenderloins in Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients:

2-2.5 lbs. pork tenderloin

1/4 cup+ butter

8 oz. grated gouda

1/2 onion, minced

4 cups whole milk yogurt

2 tsp Hungarian paprika

4 tsp instant chicken bouillon

salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash pork tenderloins and cut off skin, liberally salt and rub with paprika. Turn tenderloins in flour to dust and sear in butter all around.

Combine onions, yogurt, grated gouda and chicken bouillon and add to meat. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes until meat is done. Add chopped fresh parsley and finish sauce with a little corn starch or flour if desired.

We served this with oven-roasted fingerling potatoes and steamed green beans. Delicious!

Tip: The sauce will very easily curdle, even if you're very careful not to bring it to a boil. If curdling happens, just remove the meat and put the sauce in a blender and purée it until smooth. No one will know the difference and the taste is very nice and flavorful.