Okay, so your schedule is overbooked; you’re hard pressed to find an extra minute of spare time, but you really would like to have a few people over for dinner. Well, here’s a main course along with a few suggestions for sides that will let you pull off an evening without stress!

Try the following recipe for Fennel-Scented Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Vegetables. With just a little bit of effort you’ll end up with fork-tender roasts napped with a luscious pan sauce and a colorful accompaniment of carrots and fennel. The secret to this dish lies in …

To go with this scrumptious main course, add some creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles. Round out the offerings with a mixed greens salad tossed in a mustard vinaigrette and a basket of crusty artisan bread. For dessert opt for a tray of cheeses served with pears and apples or stop by your favorite bakery and pick up a sweet treat. Voilà!  Here’s an impressive autumn menu to savor with friends.

Fennel-Scented Pork Tenderloins with Roasted Vegetables

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed (See note)

2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus extra if needed

2 pork tenderloins, each about 1 pound with small end of each tucked under and tied

1 pound medium carrots, cut on the diagonal into 3/4 inch thick slices

2 fennel bulbs (12 ounces each), halved lengthwise and tough center cores cut out, then             each half cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch wide strips

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter for the sauce

Arrange a rack at center position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Have ready a large flameproof roasting pan.

Combine garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl and whisk in 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside.

Heat remaining 4 tablespoon of oil in a flameproof roasting pan set over medium high heat. Add the vegetables and cook until lightly browned, adding more oil if needed, 5 minutes or more. Salt and pepper the vegetables and remove them to a platter. 

Add more oil if needed to the pan, and then add the pork. Brown tenderloins well on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes. Brush the tenderloins all over with half of the garlic/fennel oil, reserving the rest for the pan sauce. Surround the roasts with the vegetables.

Roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloins registers 150 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes, and vegetables are lightly browned around the edges and tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove pork to a platter and cover loosely with foil to rest for 10 minutes. If vegetables are not quite tender, leave them in the pan and roast for 5 to 10 minutes or more and then remove and cover with foil.

To make the sauce, add remaining garlic/fennel oil to the pan along with wine, stock, and any pork juices that have collected on the platter. Place the pan over medium high heat. Bring mixture to a boil while whisking constantly to scrape up any bits and pieces on the bottom of the pan. Reduce slightly and then whisk in the butter to give the sauce a silky texture. Slice the tenderloins into 1/2 inch thick slices, arrange on a platter, and nap with some pan sauce.  Surround the meat with vegetables. Serves 5 to 6.

Note: To crush fennel seeds place in a self-sealing plastic bag and pound with a pounder or rolling pin, or crush with a mortar and pestle, or in an electric spice grounder. Crushing the seeds brings out their flavor.