A New Twist for New Year's Day Dinner - Marinated Pork Tenderloin

I spent most of this New Year's Day wrapping Christmas ornaments and other assorted decorations putting them in their appropriate containers and storing them away until next time, so I left New Year's dinner totally up to the Mister.

He didn't disappoint.

We had the obligatory collard greens. Ours was sautéed with a little bacon drippings and white wine. 

Corn bread, of course.

This year he used THIS Hoppin' John recipe from Garden and Gun magazine.

But the best thing ever was the pork tenderloin as seen above.

Very tender...and oh, so good your mama better watch out for that slap!

You might even want to slap her twice!

Take one pork tenderloin about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds and place in large zip-lock bag.

Mix together:

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup Dijon stone ground mustard

1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic

salt

pepper

Pour the mixture over the pork tenderloin.  Zip the bag and store in the refrigerator. 

Marinate at least four hours, turning the bag every 30 minutes or so.

After four hours remove the pork and discard marinade. Grill the pork on low until it reaches 145 degrees internally.  

Slice and listen for the compliments!

Serves 8

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Open Faced Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Tangy Broccoli Slaw

One night last week I decided I wouldn’t go to the store.  I had things in the freezer I needed to use, so I rummaged around and found a pork loin roast.  Well, actually it was half of a rather large one I had picked up from the grocery store when they had them on sale. 

I had seen a particular recipe in Simple magazine earlier in the day and it called for broccoli slaw….and I happened to have a package, and didn’t want to waste it.   To make this recipe even more interesting to try it involves the crock pot…..I was rather busy, and anytime I can work straight through and STILL have something cooked for dinner I jump on the opportunity.

1 medium red onion, sliced

8 T. cider vinegar

Kosher salt and black pepper

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 12-ounce package broccoli slaw (4 cups)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

¼ cup tomato paste (1 small can)

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

1 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1 T. Dion mustard

1 T. Cajun seasoning

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2 pieces

4 thick slices sandwich bread, toasted

In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, 4 tablespoons of the vinegar, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of the remaining vinegar, and ¼  teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Fold in the broccoli slaw and refrigerate for up to 12 hours.

In a 4-to 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the yellow onion, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, Cajun seasoning, the remaining 2-tablespoons of vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Add the pork and turn to coat.

Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Using two forks, shred the pork and mix it into the cooking liquid.   Serve the pork and onions on the toast with the broccoli slaw.

Herb and Garlic Roast Pork Loin with Honey Mustard

1 ½ pounds boneless pork loin

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. chopped fresh thyme

1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 ½ t. minced fresh rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1/3 cup plus 2 T. Dijon mustard

2 whole heads garlic

3 T. honey

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Sprinkle the pork with salt and pepper.  Heat a large, ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil, add the pork and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides.   Transfer the pork to a cutting board.

Return the skillet to medium heat.  Add the butter, thyme, rosemary, garlic; cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in the panko and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, until the panko is golden, about 2 minutes.  Transfer the toasted breadcrumbs to a piece of wax or parchment paper.

Brush the pork with 2 tablespoons of the mustard and roll in the toasted breadcrumbs to coat.  

Return the coated pork to the skillet.  Halve the garlic heads crosswise and add to the skillet. 

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees, about 45 minutes.  Transfer the pork and garlic to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the skillet over medium-low heat.   Add the honey, remaining 1/3 cup mustard, and ¼ cup water and stir until combined.  Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Slice the pork and serve with the roasted garlic and the mustard sauce.

I served the pork loin with green beans and pierogies (Polish potato dumplings) filled with mashed potatoes sautéed in a little olive oil.

Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

6 pork chops
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. season salt
2 eggs beaten
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
4 T. olive oil
1 (10.5 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
1/3 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse pork chops. Pat dry and season them with garlic powder and season salt to taste.

Place beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge pork chops lightly in flour. Dip in egg and coat liberally with the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Fry five minutes per side or till breading appears well browned.

Transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake 1 hour.

While baking the pork chops combine soup, milk and white wine. After 1 hour cover the pork chops with the soup mixture. Bake another 30 minutes.

Pair the pork chops with green beans and pierogies. If you aren’t familiar with pierogies follow this link.

Pork Roast with Hoppin' John Stuffing

1 small onion, chopped
½ medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
2 T. vegetable oil
1 ½ cups cooked long-grain rice
1 ½ cups frozen chopped collard greens, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained (I like the Glory brand)
½ cup diced cooked country ham
½ t. sugar
½ t. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (2 ½-pound) boneless pork loin roast

Saute onion and bell pepper in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Add rice and next five ingredients; stir in egg. Set stuffing aside.

Butterfly pork loin roast by making a lengthwise cut down center of 1 flat side, cutting to within ½ inch of bottom. From bottom of cut, slice horizontally to ½ inch from left side; repeat procedure to right side. Open roast, and place between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to ½-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Spoon 1 ½ cups stuffing evenly over roast, leaving a ½-inch border. Roll up; tie with string at 1-inch intervals. Place, seam side down in a lightly greased 11 x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 375 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registeres 160 degrees. Reheat remaining Hopping John and serve with roast.

6-8 servings
Prep: 30 minutes, Bake: 1 hour

Roasted Pork Loin

3 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon dried rosemary

2 pounds boneless pork loin roast

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup white wine

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.

Place pork loin into oven for 2 hours, turning and basting with pan liquids. After 2hours remove roast to platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.