Welcome back to Just Five, a new column where we share recipes for refined and delicious dishes that use just five ingredients, excluding butter, oil, salt and pepper. There’s just one rule of thumb: Always choose the highest quality ingredients, as each will stand out in the recipes we feature. Oh pork tenderloin, how do I love thee? Your tender flesh is flavorful, yet low in fat. You are affordable enough to put on the table for my children on a Tuesday night, yet you can dress yourself up and impress for dinner with fancy folks too. Oh, pork tenderloin, you marry well with sweet and savory, I love you, I do, pork tenderloin.
Cumin and agave sweetener (look for it where you find honey or syrup) are a wonderful flavor combination. The almost spicy smokiness of the cumin and rich sweetness of the agave – whose flavor ranks in somewhere between honey and maple syrup – complement pork perfectly. Pork tenderloin is usually sold in packs of two, but don’t worry – this recipe is easily doubled.
Pork Tenderloin with Cumin and Agave Serves 4 to 6
Adapted by Dee Ryan from a recipe by Niki Segnit, originally published in The Flavor Thesaurus 1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. agave sweetener
½ cup dry red wine
¼ cup red wine vinegar
5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, separated
1 pork tenderloin
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put cumin, agave, red wine, vinegar and 3 Tbsp. olive oil into a re-sealable bag, and mash until combined.
• Add pork tenderloin to marinade and put in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
• Remove tenderloin from bag, and reserve marinade.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on the tenderloin and add about 2 Tbsp. olive oil to a non-stick skillet placed over high heat.
• Lightly salt and pepper the tenderloin. Sear the tenderloin on all sides (about 1 minute per side) and then put the skillet in the oven for 20 minutes.
• While the pork is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil in a saucepan, lower the flame and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until it is reduced by about half.
• When the pork reaches about 150 degrees, remove it from the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Serve the pork with the reduction drizzled over it.
More pork recipes
This article appears in February 2011.