I’ve been on an apple cider kick, as this region of the US brags the right to make top quality cider. One sip of this brand was all it took me to become addicted. Phil and I always buy a huge bottle and before it gets half-empty, we get another one, just to be on the safe side. We keep wondering for how long cider will be available at our grocery stores, and hope the feast won’t end anytime soon. So far, so good. I used some of this wonderful apple cider in a marinade for pork tenderloin. Coupled with a few spices that seemed right to play with the cider, voila’: a very simple and tasty main dish was served!
CIDER-MARINATED PORK KEBABS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
2 pork tenderloin filets
1/2 cup apple cider
1/8 cup olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbs agave nectar
1 tsp fennel pollen
1/2 tsp pimente d’Espelette
salt to taste
Remove the silver skin of the pork tenderloin, and cut the meat in large cubes. Make a marinade by whisking all ingredients (except salt) until fully combined. Place the pieces of pork in a large bowl and add the marinade, coating all pieces well with it. Leave it in the fridge, covered, for a few hours or overnight.
Remove the meat from the marinade, thread it into skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for a few hours). Season with salt, and grill to your liking, turning the skewers once during grilling.
Serve with slices of lemon to squeeze over the meat.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
At first, my idea was to include a fennel bulb and a red bell pepper that were laying in the fridge to make a more colorful kebab with the pork. But, the day was long, and the patience was short. I kept it ultra simple and the meat went to the grill all by itself. Still, this was a great weeknight dinner! The meat was juicy and the addition of agave nectar gave that extra dark grill mark that I find a must… We had the pork with a little orzo and green beans, simple and delicious. Leftovers were still quite juicy next day, even when subjected to microwave torture.
Of course, I think fresh slices of fennel would be perfect in these kebabs, echoing the fennel pollen in the marinade, so if your day is shorter and the patience longer, go for it! 😉
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Bewitching Kitchen 
I really like apple cider too – I often use it liberally over vegetables all by itself. Love the tart flavour and the tingles it sends through my body 😉 (vinegar addiction foodie confessions). This does look like a juicy result Sally and you know how much I like simplicity. Can’t beat it on a weeknight. The days are incredibly short this time of year, aren’t they? The sun starts to go down here shortly after 3 pm… it’s really quite bizarre and, if I allow it, depressing ;-(. Thank goodness for yummy food!! :).
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I know too well those long days and plans that do not come to play. Its good that we can makes things work with a bit of flexibility! The char marks make me long for my grilling nights on my patio! I think you can never go wrong in using a pork tenderloin and this marinade sounds wonderful!
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I love the combo of cider and pork. Lovely marinade!
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Don’t have fennel pollen..can I omit?/ Or sub anything?? I am taking your pomegranate gelee tonight.. the main course is lamb shanks in a port and prune sauce. Thought the gelee would be refreshing! Will let you know . Barb
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Barb, I would use fennel seeds and if you want a deeper flavor toast them lightly before adding to the marinade. Or use ground fennel seeds.
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Wow, these kabobs just look like they are bursting with flavor. Love the apple cider marinade!
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Good cider is the best! It does sound like the perfect marinade for these kabobs!
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Wow, drool worthy kebab!
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I’m with you and really enjoy cider. This time of year, though, it isn’t as easy to find here. I use it to brine pork and my Thanksgiving turkey. I can only imagine how could that pork tasted with the spices you’d included in the marinade. Those skewers look like they were grilled to perfection and I bet they were oh, so very delicious!
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Camping in an empty home again, no net, no TV, we have business to take care of in our “former university”. No chance to address each comment individually right now, I’m briefly in a cafe checking email.
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I have fennel pollen! I had no idea what to use it for. Bless you Sally!
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My days are never shorter, but I am long on patience these days, remarkably. This is a dish all four of us would really like – we all LOVE apple cider. I can definitely see this working as a weeknight meal for us. Have a great week Sally!
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