Recipe: Pork Tenderloin Southern Style

A recipe! I haven't posted one in ages, but then I haven't been posting very much in general these days. Real work has been pretty draining, as has my grandmother's funeral and the quick trip East. Between all that, I haven't been doing anything noteworthy when it comes to feeding myself. Case in point? For my last "dinner party" I threw together a make-your-own-nachos bar. Don't get me wrong -- they were good, and melted cheese is a cure-all for just about anything -- but fancy it was not.

I've also found myself eating out a lot less. Oh, there are plenty of practical reasons -- my thighs could practically qualify for their own zip code, for one, and we're trying to save our pennies for another -- but it's more than that. I've really been craving the comforts of home in the last few weeks. The gray somber weekend mornings suit me fine, since they don't make me feel like I ought to be out and about, and I've spent many a Sunday lately hunkered down in PJs in front of a stack of magazines, crossword puzzles, and the TV. Sometimes life just sucks the oomph right out of you, I guess.

Pork Tenderloin Southern Style
Serves 4 generously

Last night, Mr. Food Musings and I went shopping for dinner and, instead of the same old tired chicken or fish, I suggested pork tenderloin. Pound for pound, it's as lean and healthy as chicken is, and incredibly easy to prepare. I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks, the kind that never steers you wrong, called The Eating Well Rush Hour cookbook. It's out of print, I think, and my copy is as food splattered and dog eared as they come. We enjoyed our tenderloin with a vegetarian "hash" of sweet potatoes, corn, red onions, sage, and cayenne pepper.

2 3/4 lb. pork tenderloins
fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup honey or molasses
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 tsp soy sauce

Preheat oven to 425º. Season the pork tenderloins with black pepper to taste and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, and garlic and saute until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add honey, vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 7 minutes.

Heat the remaining 1 tsp oil in a medium-sized ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tenderloin and brown on all sides, 2-3 minutes. Brush the pork generously with the sauce and place the skillet in the oven. Roast for 7 minutes. Turn the tenderloins over, baste with the sauce, and roast 8 minutes more. Let the pork rest for 5 minutes before carving into 3/4-inch slices. Serve with sauce over top.

Comments

[Fatemeh]

I think pork tenderloin is terribly overlooked. It's such an easy cut of meet to prepare, and so long as it's not overcooked, it's always moist and tendder.

[alison]

perfect day in san francisco for this upscale comfort food!

[chauffour jc]

je suis aussi trés gourmand