I was at our weekly cooking class last Friday and it was a demonstration by the owner of a company which produces cooking sauces using native Australian foods. The company is called Wild-Foods and the name on the jars is “Eat Me I’m Wild.” She wants to encourage everyone to use native ingredients.
As I was leaving, Martina from Le’Petit Gourmet gave me a recipe card for pork tenderloin with wattle seed cream sauce. Le’Petit imports gourmet food to our region and also promotes local producers. I thought, “what the heck, I’ll buy some Oz Tukka wattle seeds and lemon myrtle and give it a try.” I got home and put the jars away and promptly forgot. I was at the butcher today and saw pork tenderloin that looked really good and remembered the recipe card. Dinner done.
Have you ever cooked something that tasted so good you wanted to cook it again even though you were full? That’s what this dish was. Not only that, it photographed like crap. I so wanted it to look good because it tasted absolutely heavenly.
See what I mean? Looks like something the cat dragged in, doesn’t it? Well, let me tell you it tasted like joy on a fork. It was simple as can be to make too. Cut an onion into wedges, slice a few mushrooms and sauté til soft and then slice the tenderloin into steaks and brown in a hot skillet.
Transfer the pork to an ovenproof dish, add the onions and mushrooms on top. Mix the cream with salt, pepper, wattle seeds and lemon myrtle and pour over the pork, onions and mushrooms.
Wattle seeds are native to Australia and they add a nutty, chicory flavor to dishes. Wattle seeds have been used by the Aboriginal tribes by grinding them into flour. Real bush tucker! I’ve lived in Australia for a long time but this was the first time I’d tried cooking with them.
When I first stuck my nose over the jar I wasn’t too sure but once I put the first forkful in my mouth I was convinced. No wonder the Oz Tukka company passes this recipe out with their wattle seeds. Lemon myrtle is like having powdered lemon in a jar. Yum.
Bake at 200°C or 400°F for 20 minutes and that’s it. I tell ya it’s that easy. I only cooked one tenderloin for the two of us and usually there’s plenty left over for the dog. Poor Charlie didn’t get a look-see tonight.
- 2 whole pork fillets (trimmed) sliced into inch and a quarter slices
- 3 large or 5 small mushrooms sliced
- 2 onions cut into wedges
- 1 cup cream
- 2 tsp wattle seeds
- ¼ tsp lemon myrtle
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Sauté onions and mushrooms until soft
- Sear tenderloin steaks in a hot pan and sprinkle with pepper
- Transfer pork to an ovenproof dish and add onions and mushrooms
- Mix cream salt, wattle seeds and lemon myrtle together and pour over pork, mushrooms and onions
- Bake in 200°C (400°F) oven for 20 minutes
This recipe sounds like a perfect winter warmer dish! Wouldn’t mind having some of that right now.
Wattle seeds? I have never heard of them, will definitely look for them on my next trip to Australia. There are so many exotic unknown ingredients to be explored
I think it looks very delicious. I hope your dog knows how lucky he is!
Hmm! Looks delish! I’m not familiar with wattle seed but this surely looks delicious and I’d love to keep the recipe.
though i’m a vegan, my go-to recipe for quick entertaining is usually with pork tenderloin!! it cooks fabulously well and marinates with anything. your recipe looks wonderful!
I have to admit that I don’t know what a wattle seed is but this sounds delicious. I’m not a huge fan of pork so I always like a sauce to go with it!
Holy cow that’s hot. Wonder if I can get wattle seed in Cayman…
Dear Maureen, It sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed every bite. It is great when you bite into something you just made and say, “oh, I have to make this again!!” It is just that there are so many things to make and there is only so much you can eat!!! Well, I am so glad that you stopped by and left a comment. Thank you, it means so a lot to me. Blessings, Catherine
I have no idea what wattle seeds look and taste like, but if you said it made the dish taste good, then I believe you! I’ll keep an eye out for this ingredient.
Wattle seed and lemon myrtle – sounds divine! I had to look up what wattle see might taste like -it has a “chocolate, coffee, hazelnut flavour profile” apparently and is fantastic with dairy. Definitely a worthy end for that pork tenderloin. (Poor Charlie!)
I am always excited to discover new herbs and condiments, I am sure if wattle seeds were available here, I would buy them straight away!
As a pork fan I must say your dish looks irresistible!
Like joy on a fork? I like the sound of that! 😀
Amazing recipe! I have never eaten wattle seeds, but that pork looks so good! Let’s see if I can find them around here!!!
I love learning about new ingredients! I can imagine this must taste amazing as I it looks so creamy and delicious in the photos!
You made me google wattleseed! First time I hear about it, that dish looks delicious 😀
Wow, I’d never heard of wattle seeds. I think the pork looks fantastic. Thick and juicy.
Oh yum! I’ll definatly have to try this. I’ve never heard of Wattle seeds, so now I’m curious about them. This could be fun and delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing!
I love the look of perfectly seared pork tenderloin medallions, they scream EAT ME!
This looks delicious!! I’m horrible at cooking pork so I MUST give this recipe a try 🙂
I love anything with pork 🙂 Great looking recipe!
This looks fantastic!
I love pork tenderloin, and yours looks really tasty with that cream sauce!
New reader here, I have to say that I’ve never heard of wattle seed cream, but I like that you use a word I love to use for certain foods.. orgasmic.. love it.
I would like to try this on 4th of July weekend!
I have never seen more perfect looking pork loins just gorgeous!
This looks great. I actually kind of miss pork tenderloin – do you think it would work okay with turkey?
I’ve always been curious about native Australian foods – what grows there, what it tastes like, that sort of thing. My cousin lived out there for a few years but he wasn’t much of a foodie. Thanks for talking a little bit about these products.
I love the way you’ve made this, the sauce and the sides look so delicious!!
What an amazing way to cross cultures.
Wattle seeds!! I’ve never heard of them (of course I’m not an Aussie) but I love to say “wattle.” Wattle, wattle, wattle. It sounds so funny to me! lol Doncha hate it when delicious foods don’t photograph well? But you made up for it with the step-by-step photos, because the process makes it seem more beautiful. The recipe sounds great!
Just found your blog through a comment in Lisa is Cooking, and I’m sure glad I jumped here!
Now you got me craving wattle seed, and I am sure I’ll never find it 🙁
Will be browsing through your site this weekend!
Wattle seed is wild harvested by aboriginal communities in Central Australia, usually by the older women in the communities, teaching the children how to gather bush food. If you need any Australian bush spices you can buy online at http://www.oztukka.com.au
Contact us direct to buy more bulk quantities which are cheaper to post info@oztukka.com.au
Happy cooking!
The spices I used were Oztukka, Peter. I got them from the How to Cook store in Cotton Tree and I think she gets them through LePetit distributors. If you would like to do a guest post on OrgasmicChef.com about native Australian spices and include a recipe, I’d love it.