- Yield: 4
Lightly-smoked Pork Tenderloin with Grits Pilaf
Pork. Grits, and green tomatoes, those favorite Southern foods, are combined here in surprising ways in this prime example of new American regional cuisine.
Ingredients
- Juniper berries - 1 teaspoon, ground in a spice grinder
- Ground Coriander - 1 teaspoon
- Red Pepper Flakes - 1/8 teaspoon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Pork Tenderloins - 2, about 8 ounces each
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
- Lemongrass - 1/2 cup, chopped, fresh
- Ginger - 1 teaspoon, grated, fresh
- Dry White Wine - 1/2 cup
- Rich Veal Stock - 1/2 cup
- Grits Pilaf
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Pig Jowl or Smoked Bacon - 1 cup 1/4-inch-diced, smoked
- Yellow Onion - 1 cup, finely diced
- Garlic - 2 tablespoons, minced
- Grits - 1 cup, stone-ground
- Thyme Sprigs - 2 fresh
- Bay Leaves - 2
- Dry Red Wine - 1 cup
- Chicken or Vegetable stock - 1 cup
- Green Tomato Garnish
- Basil Leaves - 4, fresh, cut into fine shreds
- Cornmeal - 1/2 cup
- Green Tomatoes - 3, halved and seeded
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Green Onions - 4
- Roma Tomatoes - 1 plum, peeled, seeded, and diced
- Chives - 2 tablespoons, snipped (alt. minced green onion tips)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 F. Combine the ground juniper berries, coriander, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Rub this mixture into the pork. On a well-ventilated stove-top smoker with mesquite chips, or in a covered charcoal grill, lightly smoke the pork for 5 minutes. In a medium ovenproof skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the pork on all sides until brown, about 4 minutes, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pork tenderloin and keep warm.
Add the lemongrass, ginger, and wine to the same pan in which the pork was roasted. Simmer on medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring to scrape up the glaze from the bottom of the pan. Add the veal stock and cook to reduce for 2 more minutes. Strain the sauce and set aside.
To make the grits: Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil and saute the smoked jowl for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the meat is brown and the fat has been rendered. Pour off most of the rendered fat, add the onion and garlic, and saute until the vegetables are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the grits, thyme, bay leaves, red wine, and stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.
To make the garnishes: Mix the basil with the cornmeal. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4-inch lengthwise strips. Toss the tomato strips in the cornmeal mixture to coat them. In a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, quickly fry the tomatoes until they are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tomatoes and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
Trim the roots from the green onions, and trim the tops to 6 inches. Starting at the top of the bulb, slash the leaves vertically into narrow pieces. Put the onions in ice water for 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove the herbs from the grits and stir in the tomato and chives or green onion. Pack the finished grits lightly in a 3-inch-diameter ring in the center of each serving plate. Slice the tenderloin into 8 slices per tenderloin. Remove the ring from the grits and arrange overlapping slices of the pork in a circle on top of the grits. Surround each circle of grits with 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Divide the fried tomatoes among the plates. Stand a green onion in the top of each circle of pork slices.
