Thursday, May 31, 2012

Recipe of the Week: Mango Pork Tenderloin

Remember the dish I taunted you with earlier this week? It's definitely a "make ahead" kind of meal but what's great is that I prepped everything and go it in the oven, then had plenty of time to run while it cooked. Here it is:

Step One - toast your spices. 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp annatto seeds (aka achiote), 1 tsp black peppercorns, and 2 tsp (more, because they're larger) Jamaican allspice seeds. Toast over low heat 'til the kitchen smells awesome.


No Smell-a-Vision here, but trust me, toasting = best flavor ever.
Once nice and toasted, grind your spices in your coffee grinder. Alton Brown will tell you to use separate grinders for beans and for spices, but I have a metal grinder that doesn't leave a lingering aroma between uses so long as I wash it well. Combine ground spices with 1 TBSP each honey and olive oil and 1 tsp. each of  molasses and lime juice. Last, add a generous pinch of salt (about 1 tsp). This should form a nice gooey paste.

Next, we deal with the meat.

Preheat an oven safe nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 TBSP olive oil. Take a 1.5-2lb cut of pork tenderloin and cover it entirely with your seasoned paste. Get into it- make sure your seasoning gets into all the little cracks and crevices. This will feel dirty, but maybe you can do it when no one is looking. Once coated, dust the tenderloin with flour until completely covered. Place (carefully!) in hot pan and allow to sit for a couple minutes on all sides until completely browned, like this:


Not as dirty as it looks, I swear.

Remove your meat and set aside, loosely wrapped in foil while you start the fresh ingredients. To your hot pan, add 1 diced onion (Spanish is best, as it will get nice and sweet). Add a dash of salt to season and cook until most or all of the onion is translucent or lightly golden in color. Next, add chopped bell pepper and mango. Stir frequently to keep mango from sticking and cook until you notice your fruit and veggies starting to brown.

Sweet + Savory = YUM

Make space in the middle of your oven-safe skillet to place the pork back in the pan. Add one 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, one clove of garlic, minced (I used Hunt's fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic to save a step), one 14.5oz can of black beans (rinsed and drained) and 1 cup of low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock. Bring the juices up to a simmer then cover tightly with a lid or foil and place your skillet in the oven for 2-3 hours.

Check for doneness by pulling at the pork with two forks. Comes apart easily? You're done! At the shorter end of this cooking range, you'll still have a touch of pink in the middle of your tenderloin.

You can enjoy this as is - just slice your pork and spoon the mango-y onion-y goodness over top, or serve it up with some warm tortillas or over some rice.

I get zero points for presentation here, I realize, but I should get at least a thousand points for taste.

Someday, I'll get a real camera and make you really want to make this food :)
Ingredient shopping list
One 1.5-2lb pork tenderloin
Whole coriander
Whole peppercorns
Whole Annato/Achiote
Whole Jamaican Allspice
Salt
Flour
Honey
Molasses
Olive Oil
Onion
Mango
Bell Pepper
One 14.5oz can tomatoes
One 14.5oz can black beans
Chicken stock
-optional-
rice or tortillas to serve

Suggested wine pairing: Alamos Torrontes.
Alamos Torrontes


Suggested beer paring: Shiner Ruby Redbird.
IMG_4682.jpg

This meal is best consumed post-exercise, as it will make you want to recline to digest for the rest of the evening. It is especially good following a strenuous trail run. Enjoy!

1 comment:

Teamarcia said...

That looks super good! I love a good pork tenderloin. Need to scope out these achiote seeds you speak of.