Let’s face it — life is not exactly a bowl of cherries these days, thanks to “the virus.” In fact, some days it’s just plain pit-iful. But cooking is still a bright spot for me, and before the cherry season is completely over, I’ve cherry picked an easy and delicious recipe for you.
Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa is the cherry bomb. The pork roasts in no time, and with the aid of a cherry pitter (if you don’t have one, fuggedaboutit), you can easily throw together the cherry salsa. Don’t let Covid-19 get you down — eat, drink, and be cherry!
Pro tips: (1) Have a Tide pen nearby when you pit and chop the cherries. Trust me. (2) Wear gloves when you seed and chop the jalapeño, or at least don’t rub your eyes.
- For the pork tenderloin:
- 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of silverskin
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons crushed black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- For the cherry salsa:
- ½ pound dark sweet cherries, pitted and chopped
- ¼ teaspoon grated lime zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon minced red onion
- 1 teaspoon minced seeded fresh jalapeño
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Season the pork with salt and press the crushed peppercorns into ti. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, and brown pork on all sides. Transfer pork to a shallow baking dish and roast until done (no longer pink in middle, or until a meat thermometer registers 155 degrees), about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let stand 10 minutes before slicing into slices about ½" thick.
- While pork is roasting, make the salsa. Place cherries, lime zest, lime juice, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a small bowl and stir together.
- Arrange sliced pork on a serving platter and serve with the salsa.
Sear that sucker
Roasted and ready to be sliced
Cherry salsa
Hi Ho Cherry-O!