Goan Spiced Roast Pork Tenderloin

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Alex has taken to basically reading one chapter book per night.  I quiz her about them, suspicious that she is not absorbing anything, but actually she does indeed seem to be, so perhaps not just my love of reading but also my speed of reading has been passed on (to which I say thank goodness as her father reads like a snail, although he loves to read too).  I had to laugh tonight when she came down just a tad before 9 (the time at which she would fall asleep, ideally), begging for a new book to read.  The previous book had been a bit on the “good for her” side, so to reward her for her willingness to read just about anything I hand to her, I said yes she could have the Bad Kitty book she’s been patiently waiting for since I brought it home from the library.  But after 30 minutes she needed to turn the light off.

Being my daughter in more ways than one, at about 9:45 (John and I having forgotten about her and returned to watching Revenge) she called down could she please finish that book as she only had 6 more chapters?  Oh how hard it is to be the parent!  I always stay up way too late reading books, feverishly turning the pages long after everyone else is asleep.  But of course the answer was no (she has school tomorrow) and oh how she cried.

Karma’s a bitch.

Happily this pork is not.  It is also, I suspect (having only served it to Indian food lovers), a good gateway dish for people who are not familiar with Indian flavors.  I especially liked it dipped into tamarind chutney.  Those familiar with Indian food will recognize that the marinade incorporates the flavors of vindaloo, a classic Goan dish influenced by the Portuguese traders in that area, and marries them with apple cider, an American classic. I found the recipe in One Spice, Two Spice: American Food, Indian Flavors by Floyd Cardoz, a book I strongly recommend to anyone with any interest in Indian flavors. It is an especially great source to have on hand when you want to serve dishes that are not classically Indian to people who are a little nervous about eating Indian food (unfortunately I have had a lot of those in my life!).

Goan Spiced Roast Pork Tenderloin

 

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Very closely adapted from Floyd Cardoz

Author: The Spiced Life

Recipe type: Entree

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

• 1 t black peppercorns
• 1 T cumin seeds
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 3 cloves
• ½ t ground turmeric
• 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 heaping T roughly chopped ginger
• ⅓ cup apple cider
• 1 T cider vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 2 pork tenderloins, about 2¼ lbs total, trimmed of silver skin

Instructions

1. Grind the first 4 ingredients in a spice grinder. Place them in a food processor with the turmeric, garlic cloves, ginger, apple cider and cider vinegar. Puree smooth. Place in a seal-able plastic bag with the trimmed pork tenderloins. Massage the pork through the bag to get the pureed spice mix all over it. Place in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
2. minutes before you are ready to cook the pork, take the pork out of the fridge. Remove from the marinade (shake gently to remove excess marinade but do not wipe or rinse off) and place on a greased roasting rack.* Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to425 F. When it is hot, place the pork into the oven and roast for about 25 minutes, until the internal temperature of the pork is 145 F (the USDA always recommends 160 F I think so follow my advice at your own risk--trichinosis is not a problem in this country and the pork temperature will rise to 160 F while sitting anyway). Remove from the oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes, tented with foil. Slice at an angle and serve.
4. *You might be tempted to sear the pork first--I was. But Cardoz notes that this marinade tends to burn and does not recommend it.

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