Fall Flavored Pork Tenderloin

this past week i went to a dave matthews concert, and i was overwhelmed by the lack of variety.  every song was mumbled and sounded like a clone of the one before it.  some of you out there might disagree, but i would much rather go to a concert full of lip-syncing and dancing.  a good concert is more than just music, its a show.

last night i was losing my patience with the two stand-bys in my kitchen, because unlike dave matthews i appreciate that variety is the spice of life.  i decided to cure my blues with the taste of the other white meat, one meat that doesn’t get the kind of respect it deserves. but before i placed any pork on my taste buds, i lathered it up in a bath full of fall flavors.

Fall Flavored Pork Tenderloin
1 1-lb pork tenderloin
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs salt
1 tsp pepper

place all ingredients in a large plastic storage bag, marinate for 4-6 hours or overnight.  preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  heat an oven-safe saute pan over medium high heat on the stove, once hot add the pork sans the remaining marinade.  cook for 1 minute on each side or until browned and given a good crust.  place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 155, let the pork rest for 5 minutes then serve.

try serving it with stewed apples

Chile Verde

i’m all about the 30 minutes meals, no so much rachael ray, but i think you get my point.  when i’m hungry, i’m hungry.  more than 30 minutes during the week is not going to happen.  but every once in a while i enjoy a good long cooking dish whose addictive aromas take over the entire house.  i save those for the weekends. because who doesn’t love to be still in your pajamas stirring something on the stove while a fire is flickering with michael buble playing the background.  it just doesn’t get much better than that, and yes i realize i just described something reserved for people a bit older than 23…but i can’t help it. try this one this sunday…

Chile Verde
4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14 ounce) can tomatoes, juice reserved, chopped
2 large poblano peppers, roasted, cut into thin strips

cover meat with cold water in a large pot, bring to a boil. reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 40 minutes. drain and remove from pot. add olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin and salt to same pot that was used for the pork and cook over medium heat. cook until onions soften. return pork to the pot and add tomatoes and peppers. cover and reduce heat to simmer for 1½ hours. serve.

tips

• the chipotle dipping sauce goes really good with this too.
• you can enjoy this pork as is, or you can wrap it up in a tortilla.
• once the pork is done cooking and it is drained.  you want to use the same pot for the veggies because it still has all the flavor of the pork.  the biggest rule in cooking is to never let flavor go to waste.