Pork with Gorgonzola Sauce

One week left. I packed my desk on Wednesday. I had six years of miscellaneous detritus — Post-its, a stress ball, an extra pair of glasses, three unopened Moleskines Karen had given me over the years, a laminated photo of Kevin from 2018 that he had given me at Thanksgiving saying "put this on your desk so you remember me," a small ceramic pig I had bought in Pike Place in 2017 for no reason. I put it all in a box. I brought the box home. I threw away most of it. I kept the laminated Kevin photo.

Thursday was my last day of meetings. Friday is my official last day. Priya is giving me a proper send-off — drinks at a bar after work with the people I worked most closely with over the years. A small group. Maybe a dozen. I am both looking forward to it and emotionally preparing for it.

James has negotiated his own wind-down at Microsoft — he will stay through the end of Q1 2023 before joining Banchan Labs full-time. We need his income for the first three to six months while I bootstrap. I accepted this plan even though I would rather he come with me on November 1. But the math is the math. He will help me nights and weekends. He is on call, if not yet on payroll.

Karen is recovered from the fall. The stitches come out next Friday. She was less shaken by the end of the week than she had been. She called me Sunday and said, "Don't worry about me. Go finish your week. I'm fine." I said, "Okay, Mom." David called separately to say she was actually fine. Rosa said she was actually fine. I believed them.

I bought a laptop this week for Banchan Labs. A MacBook. I have always used Amazon-issued machines. Buying my own laptop felt like buying a passport. I set it up Sunday afternoon. I installed only the software I need. I created a single folder on the desktop called "Banchan." I am going to fill it with drawings, specs, recipes, plans, contracts, revenue projections, and pictures of onggi pots. This is my new life.

Dr. Yoon: we talked about the future. She said, "What are you afraid of?" I said, "Failing publicly." She said, "Define failing publicly." I said, "Raising expectations and missing them." She said, "That will happen. Plan for it now. You will miss expectations. It is almost certain. That does not mean you have failed." I wrote that down. I taped it above my desk, next to the vision statement.

The recipe this week is my kimchi jjigae, now refined after two years of practice. The ratio I settled on: 2 cups old kimchi (with juice), 1 tablespoon gochujang, 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Jisoo's secret adjustment), 1/2 pound pork belly, 3 cups anchovy stock, 1/2 block of tofu, 2 green onions sliced, a drizzle of sesame oil at the end. Simmer thirty minutes. Serve with rice. Eat on a Tuesday when you are one week away from the biggest career change of your life and you need something familiar. The metronome, this year, has been my grounding. It still is.

The kimchi jjigae is my Tuesday ritual — the grounding, the metronome — but Friday called for something different. Priya’s send-off deserved a dish that felt like a proper occasion, something I could make at home before heading out, something with a little weight and richness to it. This pork with Gorgonzola sauce has become my answer to moments that are too big for ordinary food: it takes thirty-five minutes, it fills the apartment with something warm and serious, and it tastes exactly like the kind of meal you make when you are proud of something and a little afraid of it at the same time.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced into 1-inch medallions
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the pork. Pat pork medallions dry with paper towels. Season both sides with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Sear the pork. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add medallions in a single layer and sear 3—4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through (internal temperature 145°F). Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add shallots and cook, stirring, 2—3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Deglaze. Pour in white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer 2—3 minutes until wine is reduced by half.
Make the Gorgonzola sauce. Pour in heavy cream and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add Gorgonzola and stir until the cheese melts into the sauce and it is smooth and slightly thickened, about 4—5 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
Finish and serve. Return pork medallions and any rested juices to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the top and warm through for 1—2 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately, with crusty bread or roasted potatoes alongside.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork with Gorgonzola Sauce — For the Week You Pack Your Desk and Start Something New