Pork Tenderloin

I really am finding that the one place where I can be happiest these days is in the kitchen, creating something new. It's the one area right now where I can get so caught up in the creative process that I can momentarily forget about everything else. I believe that when we're going through something difficult, hobbies and interests can be a gift to us since they help ameliorate the pain we might be going through without resorting to something that is self-destructive or a historic crutch we've clung to in the past. I suspect that for awhile, the only non-depressing posts in my blog will be related to food, so I'll try to keep a smattering of these throughout my entries.

Because it's fall, I really like cooking with apple cider. I bought some pork tenderloins the other day from Costco and since brining's on my mind, I put them in a brine with about a half gallon apple cider, a half gallon of water, a cup of salt, 1/2 cup of smashed garlic cloves, a bunch of fresh thyme, about a dozen bay leaves and a couple tablespoons of peppercorns. It's a modified recipe I use from Thomas Keller's Bouchon Cookbook.

I popped the pork in the brine before I left for work yesterday and let the brine work it's magic. A brine is much more than marinating. With the large amounts of salt included in a brine, a chemical imbalance is created between the moisture in the meat and the high salinity of the brine liquid. The imbalance forces the salted water into the pores of the meat, bringing with it all the flavor you've introduced into your brine. Given enough time, the flavors will permeate the meat and also make the meat much more moist when it's done cooking. That's why people recommend brining turkeys at Thanksgiving. In this case, six hours was enough time and so when I got home, I fired up the grill and then made a dry rub to put on the pork. I started with some paprika, then added some ancho chili powder, some chipotle powder, a little smoked paprika, a boatload of cracked black pepper, kosher salt, then some dried onion and garlic, a little ground mustard, thyme, dried sage and the surprise ingredient that took it to a different level, and made it very tasty: about a teaspoon of cinnamon. This rub is a keeper and I'm going to try it again and actually come up with measurements so I can have a recipe for it when I need it.

I rubbed that all over the tenderloin, oiled the grill and got it grilling. I saw that it was getting a little more charred than I hoped, so I bopped into the kitchen and mixed up a little quick sauce with apple cider and a lot of spicy ground mustard. I threw a bit of my spice mixture in for good measure, and then added some oil. I started basting the pork with the sauce until it was done.

It was tasty, and one of the easiest meals in the world! This one's a keeper, and it made me happy. When I grin from ear to ear with the first bite, it doesn't matter what cards life deals me--I forget about anything but the food. This is a recipe I'm going to try and recreate sometime, and the addition of the apple cider mustard sauce made it better, so I'm keeping that one. Besides the pork, I fixed a little broccoli to go alongside which made for a happy camper.

I grilled two tenderloins last night which will be dinner for the rest of the week. I had two others that were in the brine. I put them each in a ziploc bag, covered them completely with cider, and placed them in the freezer. I think when I pull them out in about a month or so they're going to be even tastier.

Summer Living

This was dinner tonight. I love this time of year--produce is bountiful, whether it comes from my own garden or from someone else's. I bought the zucchini and squash at the farmer's market, and grilling is always my favorite choice for them. I like to cut them on the bias, and then just pour olive oil, salt, pepper and whatever seasoning sounds good. Tonight it was a Mexican seasoning that I picked up a couple of days ago called Adobo. I highly recommend it, and I think this will be my go-to seasoning for awhile.

My tomatoes are starting to come in, and I have more basil than I know what to do with. I decided to make the traditional salad of tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt and black pepper, but instead of mozzarella, I used queso fresca, which is a terrific cheese. It's a traditional Mexican cheese that crumbles nicely, and has a creamy and salty flavor. I like it just as much as fresh mozzarella.

I wasn't sure what the main dish would be, so I popped my head in the freezer, and saw that I had some frozen ahi tuna steaks. I had a eureka moment, since I had a few oranges floating around from test baking my pumpkin cake (which uses orange zest). I made a simple marinade for the tuna: orange juice, soy sauce and a little rice wine vinegar to give it a clean, bright flavor. I've used a variation of this marinade for about a year or two, and I love it. I usually add some ground mustard or ginger, but I think I've moved on from that. I like how clean and fresh this was with only the three ingredients. I let it marinate for about a half hour, and then dug out some black poppy seeds to line the edges of the tuna steaks. That adds a really nice crunch to the tuna that I enjoy quite a bit. The dipping sauce is made just like the marinade, and man, it's tasty!

I think this has to be one of my favorite meals, one I'll be making for years to come. And I happen to think it would be a meal that would impress a date. I just gotta find one.

Grillmania

Now that the warm weather is here, I think nearly every dinner I've cooked for two weeks has been done on the grill. It's got to be my favorite way to cook.

You should try grilling everything and anything you like to eat. There's nothing better than veggies drizzled with some olive oil, dusted with salt and pepper, then grilled. Tonight, I grilled asparagus that way, to go along with my steak, and I think I would have been just as happy without the steak. Next time, I'll squirt just a hint of lemon juice on the asparagus, and then grate some parmesan cheese on top for good measure.

I cooked dinner for my neighbor's last week, and grilled the veggies for the salad. I sliced some onions, red and orange sweet peppers, and popped them on the grill, alongside some skewered cherry tomatoes. Mixed that all in with some greens, poured on some balsamic vinaigrette, added some grated parmesan cheese to that, and the result was an amazing salad.

Zucchini, squash, sliced tomatoes--any veggie works on a grill. And they simply taste fantastic!

I know friends who make dessert on the grill by slicing peaches or pears in half, dipping the cut side in brown sugar, then grilling them until tender. The brown sugar caramelizes and creates a creme brulee effect, and apparently it's simply fantastic. That's going to be tried this summer too!

Get out there and grill!