Pork Tenderloin with Pear Chutney

Pork Tenderloin with Pear Chutney

Some years ago I saw a very funny independent Spanish film called El filandón, based in part on the short story Las peras de Dios by Antonio Pereira. It was about a family of pear farmers suffering a bad year when there was an over abundant supply of the fruit. Because they could not sell the pears they turned to eating them, rather than having them go to waste. I had to laugh every time the mother told her husband, or children what they were eating at the next meal—foods like: pear soup, pear omelette, pear casserole—you get the idea. So I found it amusing this morning when I came across the recipe page at USA pears. It’s worth a peek at. It makes me think the growers there may have had their own lean seasons.

I love pears, especially the Bartlett. This week the 38 Power Foods blog group looks at what makes this fruit so good for us. It was a surprise to me that pears are such a good source of fiber, because they are so creamy to bite into. One piece of fruit has about 100 calories and provides close to 1/4 of your daily fiber needs. It’s also a good source for your antioxidants in the form of vitamins C and K, and it helps with satiety and blood regulation, making pears a very good choice for people with type 2 diabetes.

This recipe for pork tenderloin with pear chutney is quick and easy to prepare and it taste great!

Servings: 4 to 6            Prep Time: 35 minutes             Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Ingredients for the Chutney:

3 pears, Bartlett, Bosc or Comice

¼ cup white onion, minced

2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar

2-1/2 tablespoons tequila

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon raisins

¼ teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

Procedure:

1. Place the following ingredients in a small pot: minced onion, coconut sugar, tequila, white wine vinegar, raisins, clove, ginger, cardamom, and cayenne. Bring it to a boil and then add the chopped pears. Cook until they are tender, about 15 minutes.

2. Trim the tenderloin of fat, and slice the meat along the width at 1-1/4 inch intervals. This should leave you with 6 to 7 pieces. Butterfly each piece by cutting crosswise, almost all the way through each piece, and then opening it open, as you would a book.

3. Place a piece of plastic over a cutting board and then place one piece of meat on top and cover with another sheet of plastic. Pound the meat with a flat meat hammer until it is about ¼ inch thick. Repeat until all the pieces are flattened. Salt and pepper each piece

4. Pour 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons in a large frying pan and heat it to medium-high. Cook the meat on each side and then set the filets on a plate until you are ready to serve.

Serve with pear chutney.

References:

Power Foods: 150 delicious recipes with the 38 healthiest ingredients

The World’s Healthiest Foods (pears)

USA Pears

If you are a blogger and would like to take part in our group blogging about Power Foods: 150 Recipes with the 38 Healthiest Ingredients, (from the editors at Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine) we’d love to have your company. Contact: Mireya(at)myhealthyeatinghabits.com for details.

 

Check out what these other bloggers have cooked up! Alanna – Kitchen Parade Veggie Adventure – Alyce - More Time at the Table, Ansh - Spice Roots,  Casey –SweetSav  Jeanette - Jeanette’s Healthy Living,  Martha - Simple-Nourished-Living, Minnie – The Lady 8 Home, Mireya - My Healthy Eating Habits

This posted can be seen at  Full Plate Thursday and Pennywise Platter