Even Bookworm’s Gotta Eat

Photo credit: Like I said, me,
at my house, just this past Saturday night.
Let's credit the framing to those two beers I mentioned
(one Woodchuck, one SweetWater IPA)

In this entry, I will brag about an accomplishment that is very loosely tied to reading.  But I’m pretty sure that once I break the news it is about pork, my whole readership (if I know you like I think I do) will be on board.

No, that picture is not from a high end foodie magazine.  It’s from my house!  On Saturday!  And because I love all of you, I will provide the recipe that I read and then cooked (and then did all the dishes for).  It looks like a lot of ingredients, but if I can do it  at approximately 2 beers deep, anyone can.

(When I made this I skipped the pepper because they are gross and substituted dried cranberries for raisins.  We also went out for frozen yogurt afterwards, which I also recommend.)

For pork

                  2 teaspoons salt

                  1/2 teaspoon black pepper

                  1 teaspoon ground cumin

                  1 teaspoon chili powder

                  1 teaspoon cinnamon

                  2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds total)

                  2 tablespoons olive oil

For glaze

                  1 cup packed dark brown sugar

                  2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

                  1 tablespoon Tabasco

For vinaigrette

                  3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

                  1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

                  1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

                  1 teaspoon curry powder, toasted

                  1/2 teaspoon salt

                  1/4 teaspoon black pepper

                  1/2 cup olive oil

For salad

                  3 navel oranges

                  5 ounces baby spinach, trimmed (6 cups leaves)

                  4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (from 1 medium head)

                  1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips

                  1/2 cup golden raisins

                  2 firm-ripe California avocados

                  Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Prepare pork:


Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork:


Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts:
Whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Prepare salad ingredients while pork stands:
Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss spinach, cabbage, bell pepper, and raisins in a large bowl with about 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assemble salad:
Cut pork at a 45-degree angle into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork, oranges, and avocados in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados and oranges. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.

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