Tender roast pork and a brightly colored vegetable salad with a sweet and tangy homemade dressing. A bit of work, beforehand but the result is worthwhile. After all, this is not your average salad.
Servings: 4
Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
Stir-fry Vegetables:
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 red pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch (1,2 cm) strips
- 1 orange pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch (1,2 cm) strips
- 2 cups (150 g) whole snow peas, trimmed
- 2 medium carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 1 whole fresh jalapeno, seeded and minced, or to taste
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Dressing:
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or more to taste
- 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 4 Tbsp cup cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Pork Tenderloin:
- 1 large pork tenderloin, about 1 1/4 lbs (560 g) in weight
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
- 1 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375° F/190° C.
Clean pork tenderloin of excess fat and remove as much as possible of the silver shin. Salt and pepper and set aside on a shallow dish. Prepare the pork marinade. Whisk soy sauce, wine vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Pour soy sauce marinade over the pork and let it marinate for at least 25 minutes at room temperature. Turn pork once at half time.
While the pork is marinating, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a wok. Add pepper strips, carrots and jalapeno. Cook stirring gently once in a while until vegetables start softening, about 2-3 minutes. They should still be crunchy. Add snow peas and scallions. Stir-fry them until just limp about 1 minute. Remove vegetables from the wok and set aside in a bowl to cool a bit.
Make the dressing. Mash garlic with salt into a smooth paste in a mortar and pestle. Add ginger, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and pepper to the mortar. Whisk to combine and let the mixture sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to develop. Add olive oil and additional seasoning, if necessary. Pour half of the dressing over the vegetables and let them marinate until ready to serve.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Brown tenderloin all over nicely, about 5 minutes. Place pork in a roasting pan, drizzle it with the pan juices and roast it for about 17 minutes, depending on the weight. Remove pork from the oven and cover with a foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Arrange pork tenderloin over the stir-fry vegetables and drizzle all with the remaining dressing. Sprinkle with cilantro or parsley and toasted sesame seeds.
