Pork Tenderloin with Summer Succotash

The homemade version.

Alexandra Rowley/Woman's Day

I've spent most of the last week at the Martin County Fair eating a lot of junk. We had both plain and jalapeno cheese curds (the plain were better), hamburgers, fresh cut fries, malts, nachos, and mini donuts. After all that fried food, I'm looking forward to a healthy meal with actual vegetables! We had succotash for the first time on August 1st (the first blog meal), and it was delicious. That one had edamame instead of lima beans, this one looks like it is made with lima beans. I'm not really a fan of them, but I'm learning to try a lot of things with this project. Not all of them are good, but I'm trying. I hope that this one turns out to be as good as the first. And pork usually turns out ok--if all else fails, just smother it in ketchup.

Pork Tenderloin with Summer Succotash

Woman's Day Magazine, June 2012

Active Time: 25 minutes            Total Time: 25 minutes         Level: Easy

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pork tenderloin (1 1/4 pounds)
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Kosher salt
• pepper
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 package frozen lima beans or shelled edamame (10 oz)
• 1 c. fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 1 ear)
• 1 Tbsp red-win or sherry vinegar

What is it about Kosher salt that is superior to regular salt? I have table salt, which is what I use (mostly because iodine is important for your brain, especially when pregnant or breastfeeding). Apparently, when switching from Kosher to table salt, you should cut the amount in half. Good to know. Also, sea salt (which I also use regularly) naturally contains iodine. I may start using seas salt in all my recipes and save the "table salt" for the table and baking. I'm not sure if I will be cooking at home or away tonight, but since my brother left for college there won't be anyone to complain about pork loin (my Lila is a carnivore, as long as it doesn't come in a fancy sauce she'll probably love it).

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400F. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with the chili powder (1 1/2 tsp), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6-8 minutes.
2. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and roast until a thermometer registers 145F, 12-14 minutes*. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and heat remaining Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6-8 minutes.
4. Add the lima beans and corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the vinegar. Serve with pork (can be served hot, cold, or room temperature).

 *For me this resulted in pork that was quite rare. I put it in for a total of 18 minutes and it was still perfectly juicy but cooked through. Because of the chili powder rub, I thought it might end up a bit too spicy for Lila to enjoy, but she ended up eating more pork than anyone else (smothered in ketchup of course) and actually ate some of the corn from her succotash.

I always take the time to read comments before preparing a recipe, and this is the first Woman's Day recipe I've come across with comments. The lady said that she prepared as instructed, and the lima beans were rock hard and inedible. Based on her advice, I cooked the onion mix for 3 minutes, threw the lima beans in for 5 minutes and then added the corn as instructed. I still didn't care for the lima beans, but they were edible.

My mother and I both have pepper plants in our gardens, so I decided to use what we grew. I had a yellow pepper that was small but ripe, my mom had purple peppers. I ended up using one of each. Purple peppers, if you aren't familiar, are not good for eating raw, but when cooked basically turn into a green pepper (they even change color). If I were to remake this recipe, I would use the edamame instead of lima beans for a couple of reasons: they have a higher protein content and they taste better. I mostly picked my beans out (as did Lila), but the dish turned out well.

Mom also made a fresh pico de gallo from her garden with tomatoes, onion, garlic, 1/2 a habenero pepper, salt, and pepper. We used Tostillos Cantina chips to dip, and it was a perfect mix of salty crunch with the crisp taste of fresh tomatoes. Overall, a delicious meal.

Tips: Play around with the ingredients for the succotash. Watch the meat cooking time, I tend to go for more time with pork, which should always be cooked through (at least in my opinion, and I come from an area of pork producers).

Verdict? Taste of Day Success!