March 9, 2009

Pork tenderloin was on sale for $6 per kilo, so this is what I did with it.

I found a recipe for pork tenderloin with an orange glaze sauce, but it used
orange juice concentrate, corn syrup, and didn't add any vegetables. So this
is my slightly modified version. I also stretched out the glaze with the
liquid from the pork and vegetables, and used Bisto to thicken the sauce.

Ingredients:
1 kg pork tenderloin (2 whole tenderloins)
1 small turnip - Peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 sweet potato - Peeled and cut into bite size pieces
3 carrots - Peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Glaze ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup of onion - diced
2 gloves garlic - minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme - crushed
2 medium ripe naval oranges - peeled, deseeded, and puréed in a food processor
1/4 cup liquid honey
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons corn starch, or Bisto brown gravy mix
4 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)

Directions:

Trim fat from pork, if needed. Place tenderloin in a casserole dish, with the
turnip, potatoes, and carrots on the side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover and bake at 325F (115C) for an hour and a half, or until a meat
thermometer reaches 155F (68C).

5 minutes before the pork is done baking, heat olive oil in a 2 quart saucepan
on medium-low heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, thyme, and sauté for 4 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the orange, honey, and cider
vinegar. Drain the liquid from the pork, which should be about half a cup, in
to the sauce pan. Wisk the corn starch and water, and add to the sauce pan.
Bring to boil, and boil for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, broil the pork and vegetables, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Then let
the pork sit for 5 minutes, so it can retain its moisture.

Serve with the sauce drizzled over the sliced pork and vegetables.

There are no greens in this dish, so serving with a green salad is a good idea
to get a balanced meal.

Robert