pork tenderloin – Fervent Foodie

Pork skewers, Phillies, and a bunch of crappy meals {the week in food}

February 4, 2013 8 Comments

Upon review of my food photos from the past week, I was struck by just how much meh there was! I went out to eat more than usual, and you’d think the increase would have upped my odds of getting some great meals. So, apparently the odds were not on my side, BUT I did hit the recipe jackpot with these Asian-inspired pork tenderloin skewers!

Stay tuned for the recipe post coming later this week–I can’t wait to share it with you guys!

The skewers almost made up for the barrage of blah I endured. It started with dinner with my pal Vanessa at Levant, a Mediterranean restaurant uptown. The 7pm reservation I made was almost laughable given we were the sole patrons in the restaurant for the duration of our meal. Is this ever a good sign? Levant is owned by the same folks who own Kabob Grill (one of my favorite lunch spots in town). The menu is nearly identical, but the food that we were served was no comparison to Kabob. I’m still confused on this… I’ll have to swing by Kabob soon to fill my kafta cravings!

Recipes, What I ate

An easy dinner: Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin & Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

January 10, 2013 7 Comments

The beginning of the year is a stressful time for us accountants. There’s year-end close and year-end audits plus T-A-X season. Spelling it out makes it sound a little less dreary, right? With all the extra hours clocked at the office, the only recipes I’ll consider right now are ones that take the littlest, teensiest amount of hands-on time possible.

Two of my favorite simple recipes are Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin and Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts. The oven does all the work for both recipes, and the hands-on time is pretty minimal. Ever since we made these wickedly addicting sprouts a few months back, they’ve become a Sunday night ritual. A pound of them split two ways is barely enough. There’s talk of making a pound a piece from here on out.

As for the pork, the sweet chili flavor combo comes via a simple brown sugar and chili powder spice rub, and the high temperature and relatively quick cooking time keeps the meat moist.

If you’re lucky enough to have any pork leftover, it makes for one mean sandwich!

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

Serves 4

1 pork tenderloin (approx 1.25lbs)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
extra virgin olive oil

STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, and coat with cooking spray. Remove excess fat, if any, from the tenderloin. Combine all remaining ingredients (except olive oil) in a large Ziploc bag or large container with lid. Add the tenderloin to the container, seal, and shake to evenly distribute the spice rub. Lay the tenderloin onto the cookie sheet, lightly drizzle with olive oil.

STEP TWO: Cook the tenderloin for 15-20 minutes, flipping the meat half way through, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Set the meat aside to rest before cutting.

Note: if you are serving this pork with the sprouts, tent the meat with foil at this point and proceed to the Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts recipe. Serve with carb of choice.

Recipes

Pork Tenderloin Medallions with a Shallot Balsamic Reduction

January 9, 2012 5 Comments

I learned two things while making this recipe.

#1 – Balsamic vinegar makes everything better.

#2 – It is incredibly difficult to photograph black foods in low lighting. *insert childish temper tantrum here*

Baby steps…. baby steps.

This sweet and savory supper was courtesy of a Cooking Light recipe I had filed away in my big black book. I went to the book in search of a new pork dish to make for dinner. Truth be told, I wasn’t super excited about making pork, but the thought of pork covered in a sweet thickened balsamic glaze changed those feelings pretty darn quick.

Recipes

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin

November 16, 2011 9 Comments

When I think of pork, the first word that comes to mind is “BLAH.”

What are we having for dinner?

Pork.

BLAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Perhaps I was subjected to too many dried out pinky-thin chops as a child. Or perhaps I was too enveloped in my love affair with the other two other-white-meats. Given that my one true love in life is FOOD, it hurts my heart to dislike something. I actually force myself to occasionally eat the hated food(s) in question in hopes of maturing my palate and someday rising above these childish dislikes.

That’s dedication people.

Watch out kidney beans, olives, eggplant, and every species of fish known to man. I’m coming for ya.

In an effort to branch out, I decided to try and cook up some pork tenderloins. I’d never cooked pork tenderloins before, and the ONLY other time I’ve attempted a pork dish was this pork chop flop, which clearly no words can describe.

This Allrecipes.com recipe for Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin was my inspiration, subject to a few mweaks. The result was, well, it definitely ain’t yo’ grandma’s pork.. or your step-mother’s pork as the case may be. Sorry to put you on blast, Sally. Angel

This pork was JUICY and super flavorful with equally balanced sweet and heat. I never thought I’d use “flavor” and “pork” in the same sentence. Just did. Take THAT pork chop flop. TAKE THAT.

These tenderloins were SUPER simple. All you do is mix the following in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid:

2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 tbsp chili powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)

Plop 2 pork tenderloins (approx 1.25-1.5lbs each) into the bag/bowl and shake the crap out of it to evenly coat the loins with the seasonings. Lay the tenderloins out on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray, then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil across the top:

Cook in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning half way through.

Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to slice:

Crazy blurry photo courtesy of my iPhone!

Dare I say I LOVED this pork???

The BF declared “this was the best meat he ever had.” To which I responded with a perfectly timed and completely appropriate “that’s what she said.”

Speaking of appropriate, I cannot type or say the word “loin” without giggling. Apparently, my palate isn’t the only thing I need to work on maturing.

To round out the meal, I made Rachael Ray’s Orzo with Feta and Tomatoes:

This was just OK—a bit on the bland side, so I doubt I will make it again.

Thank god for potatoes. They totally made up for the orzo. Halved baby red potatoes, coated with some EVOO, garlic salt, black pepper, and a touch of cayenne pepper roasted at 500 degrees for 20 minutes:

I can honestly say I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like.

Feel free to leave inappropriate meat jokes for the BF in the comments. I’ll be sure to pass them along 😉

Sweet Chili Pork Tenderloin (serves 6)

2 pork tenderloins (1.25 – 1.5 lbs each)
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 tbsp chili powder (depending on your heat tolerance)
2 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp brown sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
Extra virgin olive oil

Step one: combine all of the ingredients other than the pork in a large Ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid. Place the 2 pork tenderloins (approx 1.25-1.5lbs each) into the bag/bowl, seal, then shake to evenly coat the loins with the seasonings.

Step two: spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, lay the tenderloins on top, then and drizzle them with a little extra virgin olive oil. Cook in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning flipping way through.

Step three: Let the meat rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board to slice.