Nut crust pork tenderloin Milanese

In this paleo-inspired dish, we take protein-rich pork fillet (also called tenderloin) and batten it out into thin steaks before putting it through an egg wash and coating in a nut flour that’s created simply by putting a variety of nuts into a food processor and chopping them down into a fine powder. Following a shallow fry, the fillet has a lovely crust that you can even convince some children has come from a popular fried chicken outlet! From a functional point of view, pork fillet is very high in B vitamins that are essential for cell health and energy, while it also contains high amounts of zinc to help the immune system and potassium, an important electrolyte. The nut crusting adds extra essential fats and more protein, while we serve it with roast butternut squash which is high in vitamins A and C.

1. See videos for prepping butternut squash and toasting seeds below
2. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/360F (fan) or 200C/390F (convection)
3. Peel and de-seed the squash, remove any remaining fibres and leave to dry
4. Chop the squash flesh into 4-5 cm cubes
5. Toss in olive oil with some salt and half the hard herbs
6. Lay on baking sheet with half the smashed garlic (in skin)
7. Roast for 20-30 minutes
8. Trim any sinew / gristle from the pork fillet (see skills video below)
9. Cut two circa 200g/7oz steaks and batten out with a cutlet bat until around 5mm thick
10. Blitz the white nuts into a fine 'flour', split in half and lay out onto two trays
11. Place each pork fillet piece on the nut flour, flip over and press to ensure the flesh is covered by the 'flour'
12. Dip into the beaten egg mix, ensuring both sides are thoroughly coated.
13. Repeat by placing back in the nut flour until all the egg wash is taken up by the nut flour
14. Set aside for 5-10 minutes
15. Heat a shallow frying pan with the oil, garlic and herbs
16. Fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until cooked through with a golden and firm crust
17. Serve with the roast squash and salsa verde