Adobo-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Black Bean Pico de Gallo

When I crave a break from the usual chicken or fish I think of pork tenderloin. It's very lean and cooks quickly. Does it taste great? Usually not. Pork tenderloin can be a little dry and boring. This dish is different. It has a bit of a spicy kick and the meat stays juicy and flavorful. The adobo rub is easy to put together and does wonders for the super lean pork. Black bean pico de gallo is a perfect partner. I served this with oven roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus. The sweet potatoes went into the oven first, followed by the asparagus and then the pork. The recipe makes extra adobo rub which you can try on, what else, chicken and fish of course. Thanks to Self magazine (4/03) for this excellent recipe which I changed slightly.

Pork

6 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp coarse salt

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 pinches cayenne pepper

24 oz. pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 3 to 4 ounce pieces

Pico de gallo

1 15 ounce can black beans

4 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbsp minced jalapeno pepper

2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

salt to taste

For pork: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, mix paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, sugar and cayenne. Rub all sides of each tenderloin piece with spice mixture. Preheat oven safe skillet over medium high heat and pan sear pices until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to oven until done (about 12 minutes- check at 10 minutes).

To make pico de gallo, mix all ingredients. Serve 1/2 cup over tenderloin pieces and place the remaining pico de gallo on the table.

Serves 4

Notes: My daughter Rachel and her wife Lisa make a very delicious corn relish during the corn season and often send us a few jars of it. I added some relish to the pico de gallo. The bright yellow corn looks beautiful combined with black beans and the taste is wonderful. If you have some corn on hand, add it. Chopped avocado would also be a great addition.

Turkey and Bean Chili

Getting ground turkey to taste good is always a challenge. But I'm determined. Using spices and other assertive ingredients helps a lot. Here is a chili recipe that is easy to prepare and flavorful. We had it tonight for dinner and I'm looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow evening. Try this. If you wish, crank up the spice level higher and/ or add another can of beans.

1 tbl. olive oil

1 medium size onion, chopped

2 carrots, scraped and sliced

2 celery stalks, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

3 (or more) tbl. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. adobo chilis

1 15 ounce can beans, drained (pinto, navy or black beans all work well)

1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 1/2 cups low salt chicken broth

8 ounces brown mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thickly

Put olive oil in large, heavy pot. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and saute until vegetables are softened. Add turkey and saute until there is no pink meat visible, breaking up the large chunks of turkey with a large spoon or fork. Mix in chili powder, cumin, oregano and adobo, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add beans, tomatoes with juice and broth. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, then add mushrooms. Continue simmering until the chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with rice and yogurt(if desired).

Serves 4

Chicken Curry, Madras Style

This very flavorful chicken dish is simple to prepare and can be made in advance and reheated. Leftovers are so desirable that you should consider making extra for that purpose. The dish is based on a chicken curry recipe I found in Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet by the glamourous Padma Lakshmi. I didn't have the pipali peppercorns and tamarind pulp Ms. Lakshmi used so I made the dish without them. I also added a bunch of sliced carrots. Serve with plain basmati rice and a chutney. Spicy Apple-Pear Chutney (10/15/09 post) works well.

1/4 cup sesame oil

5 garlic cloves

2 cups sliced shallots

1 tablespoon pipali peppercorns or black peppercorns

3 black cardomom pods

2 1/2 tbl. minced fresh ginger

5 hot, dried chilis

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 chicken (3-4 pounds), cut up with giblets and skin removed or 3 pounds chicken parts, skin removed

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 bunch carrots, scraped and cut into 1/2 inch slices

2 tsps. curry powder

10 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise

salt to taste

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2 to 3 tbl. fresh squeezed lemon or lime

Heat the oil on medium heat in a deep stew pot and add the garlic. After 1 minute, add the shallots and stir well for 3 minutes, until the shallots soften. Add the peppercorns, cardomom pods, ginger and dried red chilies. Cook until the onions are wilted. After about 8-10 minutes, add the coconut and stir for 2 minutes more, or until the coconut is toasted.

Add the chicken and stir well to brown all sides. After 4 minutes, add the potatoes, carrots and curry powder. Add 4 1/2 cups of warm water and stir. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat down to low and add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and cook uncovered for 5 minutes and then let simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. The chicken should be falling off the bone. Adjust salt to taste. Before serving, stir in the cilantro leaves and lemon juice to awaken the flavors.

Serves 4-6

Notes: If you can get tamarind pulp, use it this way: Soak 1 ounce (golf ball size) knob of tamarind pulp in 1 cup of boiling water for 20 minutes. When adding the potatoes and curry powder, pour in the tamarind water, straining it through a fine-mesh sieve and pressing the tamarind with the back of a spoon to get out as much of the pulp water as possible. Add 4 cups of warm water through the sieve and stir. Do not add the additional 4 1/2 cups of water.

1 cup of canned tomatoes can replace the plum tomatoes.

If possible, remove the peppercorns before serving. My tasters did not enjoy eating them or picking them out of the plate at the table.

Majestic and Moist New Year's Honey Cake

Most people dutifully eat honey cake on special holidays because it is traditional. But often the cake is dry and tasteless. If you like the idea of honey cake more than the reality, this recipe will change your mind forever. It is moist and filled with spicy flavor reminiscent of the Caribbean. Using oil instead of butter makes the batter come together quickly and it keeps for days. You will love this cake. The recipe appeared in A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman.

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tbl. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

4 tsps. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup honey

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup warm coffee or strong tea

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup rye or whiskey (see Notes)

1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 10 inch tube or bundt pan (see Notes) and line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Make a well in the center and add the vegetable oil, honey, sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey. Using a strong wire whisk or electric mixer on a slow speed, combine the ingredients well to make a thick batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the cake evenly with the almonds. Place the cake pan on two baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cake springs back when you touch it gently in the center (about 60 to 70 minutes). This is a liquidy batter and, depending on your oven, it may need extra time. Cake should spring back when gently pressed.

Let the cake stand for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then invert it on a wire rack to let it cool completely.

Yield: 8 to 10 slices.

Notes: Ms. Goldman likes to use a 9 inch angel food pan. Instructions are the same as for the tube or bundt pan. You can also use a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch sheet pan or three lightly greased 8 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans. Baking time for sheet cake is 40 to 45 minutes and for loaf cakes 45 to 55 minutes.

I used Grand Marnier instead of the rye or whiskey. If you prefer not to use any alcohol, orange juice or coffee can be substituted.

Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms

Henry and I went to a local restaurant for Christmas Eve dinner. We shared this appetizer which is simplicity itself. It was so delicious that I bought some oyster mushrooms from the supermarket to see if I could replicate the taste at home. It worked. There is no secret ingredient or cooking technique. Just be sure that the mushrooms are very fresh. Served with crusty bread, the dish is heavenly.

olive oil

garlic, minced

oyster mushrooms, trimmed of stems and large caps halved

salt and pepper to taste

parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Reduce the heat to medium low and saute gently until garlic is just beginning to turn golden (about 2 minutes). Add the mushrooms and saute ingredients stirring gently for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and succulent. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley, if using.

Potato Pancakes (Latkes)

I know that it is a little late in the season for a latke recipe. Chanukah has come and gone and I should be thinking about New Year's Eve. But latkes are delicious all year round and should be eaten more often than eight days in December (sounds like the title of a movie). My potato pancakes have few ingredients. That allows the potatoes to be the stars. Hand grating is tedious but essential and wringing out the water in a towel is messy but also essential. Make a small batch so that you aren't overwhelmed by it all. As always, applesauce or sour cream are perfect accompaniments. By the way, these latkes are gluten free, which may be important to a friend or family member. Thanks to Gourmet (Dec. 2000) for this recipe.

1 pound potatoes

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 large egg, lightly beaten

salt to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

Fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel potatoes and coarsely grate with a metal grater placing the grated potatoes in the bowl as you go. When all the potatoes are grated, let them soak in the cold water for another two minutes. Drain well in a colander.

Spread the grated potatoes and the onion on a kitchen towel. Twist the towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the potatoes and onions to a medium bowl and add egg and salt to blend.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Spoon 2 tbl. of potato mixture per latke into the skillet and flatten slightly with a fork. (You will be able to do four latkes at a time.) Reduce heat to medium and cook until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Using a spatula, turn latkes over and brown second side, about 5 more minutes. Transfer browned latkes to a plate lined with paper towels. Add more oil to the skillet as needed.

Makes 12-16 latkes

Notes: I used a two burner griddle which makes about 8 latkes at a time. If making the latkes in advance, reheat on a wire rack in a shallow pan in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. This setup insures that the latkes will stay crispy.

Orange Chicken with Golden Raisins

Now that my oven is not working I'm on the lookout for stove top recipes. I made this chicken stew yesterday and served it tonight for dinner. The original recipe comes from A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes From Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen by Jennifer Felicia Abadi. I adapted it to suit my taste and added beans and some more veggies. The stew was tasty and easy to prepare. As Ms. Abadi indicated, the dish tastes even better the next day.

Sauce

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions

2 cups peeled and cubed white potatoes (any kind)

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup winter squash, cubed

1/4 cup golden raisins

1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice, strained

4 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tbl. soy sauce

Chicken

3 pounds chicken pieces (white and dark meat)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. paprika

4 1/2 tsp. olive oil

Prepare the sauce: Combine all the sauce ingredients in a medium size bowl and set aside.

Prepare the chicken: Place the chicken pieces on a plate. Combine the salt, pepper, allspice and paprika in a small bowl. Rub the spices into the chicken skin.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken and brown, cooking for 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour the sauce over the chicken and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, 30-45 minutes. Right before the chicken is done, add 1 can of navy beans.

Serve the chicken pieces with rice or bulgur wheat, with the sauce spooned on top.

Serves 4-5

Notes: The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of figs, which I omitted. I browned the chicken in two batches. Since we prefer dark meat I used only chicken drumsticks. I added carrots and winter squash but any root vegetable would work well.