Fang Food: A Salute to Wellington Castillo

Now, I'm going to be straight up honest with you, I can't afford to make a beef wellington, the classic dish that is normally associated with Castillo. However, I have a recipe for a pork wellington, which doesn't have the pedigree of a beef wellington, but is equally delicious. It is hardly traditional, but it is a lot cheaper, and just as enjoyable. So without further ado, here is Fang Food's tribute to everyone's new favorite catcher, apologies to Alton Brown, who I believe originally published this recipe.

Pork Wellington

Ingredients:

1 whole egg
1 tablespoon water
1 -ounce dried apple rings
1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
4 1/2 ounces thinly slice prosciutto ham
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Make an egg wash by whisking the egg and water together, then set aside. Chop up the apple rings in food processor until coarsely ground. Also set aside.
• Trim the tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin (the silvery, weird membrane on the outside of the tenderloin), and then cut the loin in half, lengthwise. Lay the two halves side by side so they are the same size at the ends.
• Lay out a 12 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the pieces of prosciutto in the center, overlapping them enough to create solid layer that is as long as the tenderloin. Top with a second piece of parchment, and using a rolling pin, roll over the prosciutto to help adhere the pieces to each other. Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the prosciutto with the salt, pepper, and thyme.
• Set the tenderloin down the middle of the prosciutto. Spread the dried apples in between the 2 pieces of tenderloin and push back together so the apples are held between them. Using the parchment paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
• Sprinkle a clean counter top with flour, and roll out the puff pastry until it is about 12 to 14 inches long. Spread with a thin layer of the mustard. Lay the prosciutto-wrapped tenderloin on the center of the pastry. Fold the puff pastry up and over the top of the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose, brushing the edges of the pastry with the egg wash in order to seal. Turn the tenderloin over so the side of the tenderloin with the double thickness of pastry is underneath. Pinch the ends of the pastry to seal.
• Brush the whole thing with egg wash. This is going to give you that nice golden brown color for the pastry. Cook the wellington on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for about 25-30 minutes. This will give you a final internal temperature of about 140 degrees.
• Remove from the oven, and allow to rest on a cooling rack for about ten minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

And there you have it! Personally, I like to serve this with a mushroom risotto. The earthy flavors of the mushrooms really complement the flavors of the pork and the apples, in my opinion. There are a lot of great recipes for that out there, but my favorite is Gordon Ramsey's, though I'm sure other people with have lots of other great ones as well. Have fun with this, and may we never grow tired of #BeefMode or regret the trade that brought Castillo to the Valley!