Happy feast of St. Dominic! On today’s show, Matt Swaim and Anna Mitchell discuss his legacy as founder of the Order of Preachers. Guests include Gary Michuta with more interesting context to help us better understand the Bible, and Rita Heikenfeld with more foods and herbs from the Bible. Plus news, weather, sports and more…

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Collect for the Feast of St. Dominic

May Saint Dominic come to the help of your Church by his merits and teaching, O Lord, and may he, who was an outstanding preacher of your truth, be a devoted intercessor on our behalf. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

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RECIPES FROM RITA

Freezer Pesto

Go to taste. This is a nice one for the freezer. I make mine in the food processor. A blender or by hand with a mortar and pestle works, also. 

Now if you don’t want butter in your pesto, swap it out with more olive oil. 

Ingredients

1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 cups basil leaves, packed
Palmful fresh parsley (optional)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Romano cheese (or use all Parmesan)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Add everything to a food processor but oil, salt, and pepper, and blend until smooth. Add oil to your liking, starting with 1 tablespoon, then add salt and pepper.

Thicker is better for the tenderloins. You can always add more oil later for regular pesto.

Pesto stuffed pork tenderloin two ways

My friend, Mary Lee Olinger, an Anderson Township reader, shared the first recipe a while back. It has a delicious culinary history, starting with Mary Lee’s friend, Mary Ann Myers. 

Ingredients for each recipe

1 pork tenderloin, about 2 pounds, trimmed

Pesto

Garnish for each recipe

Romano & or Parmesan cheese – grated 

Pine nuts (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 for both methods.

Method #1: filling the tenderloin 

Lay tenderloin on cutting board. Starting from the top, cut meat vertically not quite all the way through. What you want is a nice “trough” to fill.

Spread tenderloin open a bit, then spoon pesto until it fills (and overflows a bit) cavity. 

Place, cut side up, in sprayed baking pan. 

Tie roast in three places to keep it together.  Sprinkle cheese and nuts over roast. 

Method #2: filling the tenderloin

Lay tenderloin on cutting board. Starting on thinner end, take a sharp knife and slice horizontally almost all the way through. It will open up like a book. Pound out evenly. 

Spread pesto to within an inch of edges. Fold over the 2 short edges a little bit. This helps seal the roulade. Roll up, starting at long end. Place, seam side down, on sprayed baking pan. Smear some pesto on top.

Roasting for both 

Bake until done (145 degrees) – in my oven it took 20-30 minutes. Don’t over cook this lean cut of meat, or it will be dry.

Rest about 10 minutes, tented. Temperature will rise several degrees.

Slice thickly, then sprinkle with cheese and nuts if you like.

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Dr. Daniel McInerny, author of Beauty and Imitation: A Philosophical Reflection on the Arts

Full list of guests