Tag Archives: grilled pork

CILANTRO PESTO WITH SPICY-MAPLE PORK TENDERLOIN

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Reversing things around today. Because this pesto? Rocked my little world. Star of the show. Measurements are very flexible, get a little tortilla and taste as you go.

CILANTRO PESTO
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

2 small bunches of cilantro, mostly the part with leaves, little stems still attached
1 Serrano pepper, minced (seeds removed if you want less spicy)
1/3 cup pepitas (or substitute pine nuts)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
olive oil to adjust consistency (around 1//3 cup)

Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process it for 20 seconds or so to get things started. With the machine running, pour the olive oil until you reach the consistency you like. Reserve. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lime juice.

SPICY-MAPLE GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 pork tenderloin, butterflied
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon of Sriracha (or more, if you like)
1 tsp salt

Make a marinade whisking all ingredients together. Place the butterflied pork in a plastic bag and add the marinade to it. Leave it in the fridge for 4 hours or longer.

Remove from the marinade, season lightly with salt and grill on both sides, until done to your liking.

Serve the pork with the cilantro pesto. Swoon.

ENJOY!

to print the recipes, click here

Comments: Cilantro haters better stay as far away as possible from this post. But I don’t expect them to be still here to read the comments. We are both cilantro-addicts so this pesto pressed all the right buttons. Fresh, bright, nutty in a slightly different way since it has pepitas, great ingredient to play with.

The pork tenderloin was also delicious, sweet and spicy. The combination of pork with cilantro pesto was perfect. We enjoyed it with carrots and zucchini simply sautéed in high-heat on the stove with lemon juice and a touch of soy sauce. Simple meal, satisfying and light. I hope you give this combination a try.

ONE YEAR AGO: Sunburst Pumpkin Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Sourdough Four-Play

THREE YEARS AGO: World Bread Day 2018

FOUR YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

FIVE YEARS AGO: Spicy Cotija and Black Olive Sourdough

SIX YEARS AGO: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cake

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Sourdough Rye Bread with Flaxseeds and Oats

EIGHT YEARS AGO: PCR and a Dance in the Mind Field

NINE YEARS AGO: October 16: World Bread Day

TEN YEARS AGO: The US Listeria Outbreak 2011

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: 36 Hour Sourdough Baguettes

TWELVE YEARS AGO: October 16 is World Bread Day


PORK KEBABS / KABABS / KABOBS / KEBAPS

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Your choice. As long as the meat stays juicy, moist and delicious, you can call it whatever you want. I like kebabs myself, and these were a big hit last week, probably our favorite dinner. Lightning-fast to prepare, especially if you do what I did, and assemble the skewers early in the day, saving them in the fridge until dinnertime. Just sprinkle a little lemon juice over the cut apples to prevent them from darkening too much, and cover with plastic wrap.


BARBECUED PORK AND APPLE KEBABS
(from Martha Stewart website)

1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
salt and pepper
2 small pork tenderloins –  halved lengthwise and cut into 16 cubes
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 8 wedges

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for several hours.  Assemble long skewers alternating pieces of pork, onion, and apple wedges.  Start with t a piece of meat, and end with a piece of apple.  Reserve.  (This step can be made several hours ahead of grilling).

In a small bowl, combine the apricot jam, vinegar, tomato paste,  and 1 Tsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat grill to medium-high, and oil the grates. Sprinkle the kebabs lightly with salt and black pepper.   Place skewers on grill; cover grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks are visible, about  8 minutes.  Brush the kebabs with some sauce, and cook, turning skewers and basting occasionally with more sauce, until pork is no longer pink in the center and is nicely glazed, 6  to 8 minutes more.

Serve over steamed rice, couscous, or just with a salad.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My only modification of the recipe was to skip the step of peeling the apples.  I hate peeling apples because I lose about 63% of the fruit in the process.  Anyway, not a good move.  I thought that the peel would help the apple keep its shape and would not interfere with the taste, but it just doesn’t work this way.  Do as Martha does, peel your apples!

These kebabs are absolutely great, we gave them two thumbs way up…   Since grilling takes less than 15 minutes, pick side dishes that cook quickly too.  I went with couscous – cannot beat that – and simply sauteed green beans.

Leftovers were still moist and tender next day, I warmed them briefly in the microwave and squeezed a little lemon juice when they were ready to be enjoyed.  The apricot glaze is a keeper, for pork, chicken, shrimp… endless possibilities.

ONE YEAR AGO:  Saying Goodbye (1 year without our sweet Pits)

TWO YEARS AGO: Got Spinach? Have a salad!

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7-6-5 GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN

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Note added Feb 22nd, 2021: If you own a Weber type grill, it might get a lot hotter than other brands, and this method won’t work for you, unless you are able to control the heat down to 500F-550F. My friend Gary recommends a surface thermometer in case you’d like to monitor the temperature of your grill, and find hot spots.

The Boeing 777 is my favorite airplane, but the number to keep in mind when grilling pork tenderloin is 765, referring to the time it takes to grill it (7 + 6 + 5  minutes).   The original recipe was from an issue of Fine Cooking magazine (June 2002)  published as a general method to grill pork tenderloin, that’s adaptable to many different flavor profiles.  I’ve been making it ever since.

7-6-5- GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN
(very loosely adapted from Pam Anderson)

2 pork tenderloins
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp aleppo pepper
salt

For the glaze:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
a little water
salt and pepper

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, and aleppo pepper, rub all over the meat and let it stand in the fridge overnight or several hours.

Prepare the glaze by melting all ingredients in a small sauce pan. You want a reasonably thick consistency, so adjust the amount of water accordingly. Let it cool (you can prepare the glaze the day before).

Prepare a hot grill. Remove the meat from the marinade, brush it all over with the glaze, and season with salt. Place the meat on the grill, close the lid and grill for 7 minutes. Turn the pork tenderloin over, close the lid again, and grill for 6 minutes.  Don’t open the lid, just turn off the heat and keep the meat inside for 5 minutes. The internal temperature should be 145F to 150F. If not, close the lid and leave the meat for a few more minutes.  Remove the meat to a serving platter and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

You can prepare the same recipe on a charcoal grill, just place the coals to one side, and when it’s time to turn the heat off, simply move the meat to the opposite side of the grill, with no coals underneath.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The published recipe suggested brining the meat first, then brushing it with the glaze of your choice. I opted for a lemony marinade instead.  Pam Anderson offered three options on the glaze,  all using frozen fruit juice concentrate as the starting point.  We usually don’t stock those in the freezer, so I went with melted orange marmalade instead, adding a little vinegar to cut any excessive sweetness.   During grilling the sugar will impart a deep copper color to the meat, something that we all associate with great taste… and it had that for sure!   I served the meat over plain white rice, without any sauce, but with crisp-tender green beans and almonds, one of our favorite side dishes. Leftovers are great for sandwiches, fajitas, or simply re-heated in the microwave.  Give this recipe a try, and it might become one of your favorite weeknight options!