Carla’s Pork Tenderloin with Cumin Crust and Mango Salsa
Fellow food writer, cookbook author and cooking school teacher, Carla Snyder lights up a room every time she walks in. When I asked Carla to share a recipe I knew it would be one packed with flavor yet relatively simple and she didn’t let me down. “Summers in northeast Ohio can be hot so we take advantage of the opportunity to cook outside whenever possible. We’ve learned to keep the kitchen cool by doing the whole dinner on the grill by adding a few farm stand vegetables along side this pork tenderloin” says Carla. “Eating on the patio and watching another summer evening slide by reminds me that living on the north coast isn’t so bad at all.” We all could take a lesson from Carla.
Direct heat Serves 4 with leftovers 2 ripe mangos, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice 1/4 cup red pepper, seeded and cut into a tiny dice 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped 1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, total, silver skin removed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1. In a medium bowl combine, the mango, red pepper, lime juice, cilantro, chili, and salt. Toss to mix well. Leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can make the salsa up to 3 hours ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated. Let come to room temperature before serving. 2. In a small sauté pan over medium heat add the cumin and coriander seeds. Heat until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar or spice mill and finely grind. Mix with the herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. 3. Rub the pork tenderloins with 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. The remaining spice can be used as a rub for chicken or beef. 4. Light a charcoal fire or pre-heat your gas grill on high. Oil the grill’s cooking surface. When the charcoal is ready or the gas grill is pre-heated, adjust the temperature to high. 5. Drizzle the tenderloins with the olive oil and place on the grill. Cook for about 10 minutes then turn and cook for another 7 minutes. The internal temperature should read 145 degrees. Remove the tenderloins to a platter and loosely cover with foil. Let sit for about 5 minutes. 6. Carve the tenderloins on the diagonal in 3/4-inch slices. Serve 3 slices per serving. Top with mango salsa and serve immediately.
Note: Carla reminds us that Serrano chiles are reliably hotter than jalapenos but you would never really know until you taste them. Taste a small section of the chili to check for heat and add it to the salsa accordingly. If the chili is a dud you can add some red pepper flakes or chopped pickled jalapenos to give it more kick.