Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Toast with a Tenderloin

While we were in Cleveland last weekend, my husband and I hosted an outdoor party for his family and friends who were not able to join us in Texas for our wedding.  We were joined by some of our good friends from Washington, DC, too.

It was a whirlwind trip - lots of fun, but not really relaxing.  We really didn't have a chance to truly appreciate all the well wishes and special conversations that we had while we were there.  Both of us feel so lucky to have so many fun and considerate people in our life, and we worry they don't realize the depth of our gratitude.

Because of that we decided to plan a relaxing evening at home to go through the congratulatory cards and presents we received and share our thoughts about the success of the party.  I wanted to make something special for the two of us, but nothing too taxing.  We were both still tired and we wanted time to sit back and absorb what we just experienced.

I decided on a pork tenderloin from Niman Ranch and I was inspired by a bottle of tequila sitting on our bar.  I made a margarita-like marinade, let the pork soak it in for a couple of hours, and tossed it on the grill.  I served it with chipotle-spiced beans and rice with green onions.  Then, we toasted our good fortune with a couple of beers.

Margarita Marinated Pork Tenderloin
Makes 3 to 4 servings

2 green onions, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 Tbsp flat parsley, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp tequila
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 lb pork tenderloin

Place all ingredients, but pork into a large zip-top plastic bag and combine.  I dropped the limes in after squeezing to enhance the citrus flavor.


Add pork to mixture in bag and seal.   Using your hands work the marinade around and rub it into the pork.


Let it marinate for at least one hour, but not more than 5 hours in the refrigerator.

When ready to grill, remove the pork from the marinade and discard the marinade.

Grill, with grill lid closed, over high heat.  It will likely take not more than 5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your tenderloin.

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