Tenderloin Balsamic Rosemary Marinade
This Balsamic Rosemary Marinade is simple and perfect for beef, venison (as I used), pork, chicken, fish, lamb, pasta, drizzled on tomato slices, in salads, or on cheese; it is an all-purpose condiment. I’ve also included a side dish for you of Buttered Rice with Pignoli; it’s amazing the flavour that toasted Pine Nuts add to buttery rice.
I really love the intense woody/sweet/tangy flavour of aged balsamic vinegar; my pantry stores a vast collection of constantly revolving balsamic vinegar, since I can never resist trying a new Modena variety.
The concentration and then the aging process of balsamic vinegar creates a thick, almost syrupy, consistency that is delightful alone. But used in this marinade, with the addition of woody rosemary and shallots, it explodes with flavour. As I said, while I used it as a marinade, this also makes a fabulous salad dressing, or condiment to drizzle on so many things. I use it often.
When using as a marinade for meat, allow at least an hour (depending on the thickness of the meat you are cooking – up to a full day, or overnight) for marinating time, remove the meat from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel prior to grilling or pan searing. I cooked the venison tenderloin in a dry, hot skillet for 3 minutes on each side (for 1/2 inch medallions).
Since I missed posting last week for Five Ingredient Friday (Good Friday), I am also giving you a side dish. Buttered Rice with Pignoli (Pine Nuts) is one of my go-to sides. Normally, I add chives to it, but my chives were a little past their prime, so I added some parsley this time. Experiment with different herb additions to see what you like best.
Buttered Rice with Pignoli
The combination of these two dishes makes for a very elegant meal, but each one is simple to prepare and ready in minutes (with the exception of a little time to marinade the meat), so they are great for a weeknight dinner too.
I hope you’ll try them both.
P~
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons shallots, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Combine all ingredients into a small bowl and whisk.
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 4 tablespoons butter, separated
- 3 tablespoons Pignoli (Pine Nuts), toasted
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley this time, but I love it with chives)
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- In a pan with a tight-fitting lid, add the water and bring to a boil.
- Add the rice, 1 tablespoon butter, and salt.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Do NOT lift the lid during this time.
- While the rice is cooking, in a small skillet, slightly brown the remaining 3 tablespoons butter (this should take about 5 minutes over medium heat.
- When the rice is finished cooking, allow 5 minutes for it to rest, off the heat.
- Add the toasted pine nuts, herbs and browned butter to the rice and fluff with a fork.
- Serve hot.
