Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pinneaple-Jalapeño Salsa

I am back again with more easy recipes for you! This is a tasty and easy to make pork tenderloin that can be served as a main course or as a taco. The pineapple-jalapeño salsa is grilled with the pork and makes the perfect match. Jalapeños will not be hot if you remove the seeds; I like to use disposable gloves to seed and chop jalapeños since the seeds transfer the heat to your skin and you will feel it when you touch your eyes, nose, etc...

Now that spring is finally here (at least in Chicago) you may consider grilling outside!

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PINEAPPLE-JALAPEÑO SALSA

Serves 4

1 large pork tenderloin
1/2 pineapple (chopped)
3 jalapeños (seeds removed and chopped)
3 spring onions (cut in half)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

If making tacos add:
Corn tortillas
Avocado
Lime
Cotija cheese
Cilantro

Place pork tenderloin in a deep pan and cover with pineapple, jalapeños and spring onions. Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (may refrigerate overnight).

Remove from refrigerator and bring to room temperature (45 minutes-1 hour). Coat pork well with the olive oil.

Heat a large grill pan over high heat. Add the pork tenderloin and the pineapple-jalapeño salsa on the sides of the pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes on each side stirring the salsa occasionally and adding more olive oil to the pork if needed. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve as a main course or in tacos with warm corn tortillas, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

Tomatillo-Chilpotle Salsa

I usually make this sauce when making Tacos con Carne Asada. You can also make it as a dipping sauce for tortilla chips (see photo below). It can also accompany any grilled meat or chicken, veggies, potatoes, etc... As you see it has many uses!

This sauce has a smoky and spicy flavor from the chilpotle pepper that combines perfectly with your tacos. Chilpotle or, more widely known in the US as chipotle, is a smoked jalapeño used in Mexican cooking. You can find it dried, powdered or canned. I am using the canned version for this recipe, which you can usually find in the international section of your grocery store.

Tomatillo is a fruit that resembles a green tomato. It grows in a paper-like husk that has to be removed before cooking. Tomatillos are a staple of Mexican cooking and you can easily find them in US supermarkets.

Tips: The spiciness in this sauce comes from the chilpotle. If you don't like your sauce spicy, you should remove all the seeds from the jalapeños and skip the chilpotle.

TOMATILLO-CHILPOTLE SALSA

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1lb tomatillos (husks removed, rinsed and quartered)

1 medium tomato (quartered)

1 red onion (quartered)

2 jalapeños (seeds removed and cut in half lengthwise)

2 garlic cloves (peeled)

1-2 canned chilpotle peppers

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)

salt

Preheat broiler to high. Place tomatillos, tomato, onion, jalapeños and garlic on a baking pan, add the olive oil and mix well.  Place the baking pan in the oven on the top rack and cook until tender and slightly charred (about 25 minutes), turning the vegetables occasionally.

Ready to go in the oven

Vegetables are tender and slightly charred

Place the vegetables in a blender and pulse a few times until roughly blended. Stir in the cilantro and pulse again. Season with salt to taste.

Place salsa in an oven safe dish and bake at 450ºF with goat cheese for 10 minutes. Serve as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Broccoletti, Red Onion, Sausage and Cherry Tomatoes

Today I am making an easy pasta, perfect for any weekday night when everyone is in a rush! I am using broccoletti, a vegetable very similar to broccoli, but smaller and very sweet. Broccoletti is a hybrid vegetable between broccoli and gai lan or Asian broccoli. To me, the stem resembles the taste of green asparagus while the florets have broccoli notes. It is really tender and cooks very fast. You probably did not grow up eating broccoletti, the reason being it is a new vegetable that has been in the market since the 90s. Nowadays you can find broccoletti in every grocery store in the US.

Tips: Always cook your pasta al dente and reserve some of the pasta boiling water in case you need to add it to your sauce.
You can substitute cherry tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes. You can substitute broccoletti for broccoli.
If you buy sausages, cut and discard the casing; you will only need the meat for this recipe.

PASTA WITH BROCCOLETTI, RED ONION, SAUSAGE AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Serves 5

1lb  spaghetti or other pasta
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1lb broccoletti (washed and chopped into bite-size pieces)
1lb Italian sausage meat
1 red onion (sliced)
15-20 cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper

Ingredients

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Heat a large deep pan over high heat and add olive oil and Italian sausage. Sauté the sausage meat breaking up with a spoon until browned (about 4 minutes). Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and broccoletti. Sauté stirring occasionally for about 3-4 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Boil the pasta until al dente according to package instructions and reserve 1/2 cup of starchy boiling water. Drain and do not rinse.

Toss the pasta in the sauce and add the 1/4 cup of reserved water and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately!

Enjoy!