Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana

And the experimenting continues…

I’ve been having a mexican food obsession recently and have been really into working my way through Rick Bayless’ “Mexican Everyday”. Half of the drive is hunting down ingredients (not that hard but it requires me hopping on the subway and heading downtown) and the other half is my newfound fascination with Rick Bayless. His books ALMOST make me not want to go to another mediocre Mexican restaurant again.

A few months ago I bought what I thought was one pork tenderloin (it was vacuum packed) but turned out to be two. As you may remember I baked one in salt and froze the other for later use.

This dish turned out OK. The flavours were great. Roasting the poblano peppers brought out a nice sort of smoky/ sweet/ spicy taste that went really well with the tomato sauce without overpowering the whole dish. I followed the recipe as written but used cilantro instead of the epazote branch (I wasn’t feeling that adventurous when I made this dish!). The one thing I would have changed is the size of the pork chunks. Bayless suggests 1-inch cubes but I found them to be way too big. I would have preferred smaller strips of pork instead. I think the pork would have absorbed more of the flavour from the sauce that way AND each bite wouldn’t have been so “meaty”. But maybe I’m over analyzing.

I served the pork with red beans (cooked loosely based on the Goya recipe) and rice that I seasoned with lime juice, cilantro and corn (think the yummy rice at Chipotle). Overall a yummy dish with not too much “stuff” happening.

Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana (Puerco a la Mexicana)
2 large fresh poblano chiles
1 to 1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted), drained
3/4 cup beef broth OR 2/3 cup water plus 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 large branch fresh epazote OR 1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro

1. Roast the peppers over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let cool until handleable.

2. While the chiles are cooling, pat the meat dry on paper towels. Sprinkle liberally all over with salt. Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the pork in an uncrowded single layer and cook, stirring and turning regularly, until browned all over, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible. Set the skillet aside.

3. Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse the chiles to remove bits of skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips.

4. Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until richly golden but still crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chile strips and stir until fragrant, then pour in the drained tomatoes, broth (or water-Worcestershire combo) and epazote (save the cilantro to add later). Bring to a boil and let cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the meat to the pan (and cilantro, if that’s what you’re using). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly until the pork is cooked through–I (Bayless) like it still a touch rosy inside, which usually takes just about 5 minutes of simmering.

5. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. Remove the epazote from the pan, if necessary, and you’re ready to serve.

(From Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless)