Category Archives: Pork

PEPPERED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CHERRY SALSA

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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.

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PEPPERED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CHERRY SALSA
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 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
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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!

VERMICELLI BOWLS WITH VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK

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Who’s ready to go bowling?  Vermicelli bowls, that is.  These are going to be right up your alley.  (You didn’t think I was going to spare you bad bowling puns, did you?)

OK, let’s get the ball rolling.  Start with dried vermicelli — rice or bean thread — found in the asian aisle of most grocery stores.  This bean thread one is the one we like to use:

Use one bundle for each vermicelli bowl, and perhaps throw in an extra bundle for good measure.  Place the bundles in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them.  Allow the noodles to soak about 5 minutes until soft and pliable, while you prepare the other ingredients.  Transfer to a colander, rinse with cool water, and drain.

For the base, I like to mix together shredded romaine lettuce, red cabbage, Thai basil, and mint to keep it interesting and colorful.  For each serving, use about 1 cup romaine, 1/4 cup of red cabbage, and 1 tablespoon each coarsely chopped Thai basil and mint.  Place a heaping cup of the mix in each serving bowl:

Top with noodles:

Now comes the fun part, when you get to customize the bowls to your liking — you can top your bowls with julienned cucumbers, bean sprouts, lime slices, chopped salted peanuts, cilantro, green onion, sliced jalapeños — whatever tickles your fancy — and of course, the pickled carrots and daikon that you prepared.  And, don’t forget to add a protein!  The first time we made these we used boiled shrimp and it was surprisingly good.

Can’t imagine I’d strike out with grilled tofu or chicken, either.  But the protein that bowled us over is Vietnamese Grilled Pork (recipe follows).  We’ve made it both on the grill and broiled in the oven, and although the grilled one is the hands-down winner, the broiled one was still delicious and works fine for those who don’t have access to a grill.

Grilled on left, broiled on right

Serve your vermicelli bowls accompanied by a small bowl (about 1/4 cup per person) of Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dipping Sauce to pour over everything.

The recipe for Vietnamese Grilled Pork isn’t difficult, but does require about an hour to marinate.  If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes to help keep them from burning.  Pro tip — partially freeze the pork to make it easier to thinly slice. 

I wasn’t familiar with sweet or thick soy sauce, but I was happy to find it in the asian aisle at the grocery store.  It’s thick, like molasses, and sweet, and it’s worth seeking out:

Strike while the grill is hot, get that pork marinating, and get ready to enjoy a delicious vermicelli bowl.

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VIETNAMESE GRILLED PORK
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce (preferably Three Crabs brand)
  • 3 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (also called thick soy sauce)
  • 1 pound pork tenderloin
Instructions
  1. Mix together all ingredients except pork in a large bowl. Slice pork into thin slices (easiest if partially frozen) and add to marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Meanwhile, if using wooden skewers, soak in warm water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat grill or broiler. Skewer the pork, and grill or broil until pork is cooked through and marinade has caramelized and is a deep brown color.

 

Skewered and ready for the grill

Grilled and ready to go bowling