Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Salad of Champions

I am definitely an omnivore, I love meat. But I do have to admit that when the mercury begins to rise, I tend to eat a lot more cold foods. Yes, I am talking about what a lot of people refer to as "Rabbit Fodder". But this salad is sure to make even a hard core carnivore a happy camper. I sometimes jokingly refer to this as "MAN salad". Yes, it has that green stuff (arugula) but it's at least partially covered by grilled meat, cheese and nuts, so it can't be all bad. I THINK I originally found this recipe on the George Foreman grill site... However, like usual, I have taken a few liberties over time.

Maple Balsamic Grilled Pork Tenderloin Salad

3 TB Grade B Maple Syrup (Grade B has more flavor than Grade A Dark Amber)
1 1/2 TB Balsamic Vinegar (You can use the 2 leaf salad type)
1 1/2 TB Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 1/2 TB very finely minced shallot
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tsp Marjoram
1/2 tsp Basil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Thyme
1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Orange or Lemon Zest
1/2 Tsp Kosher salt
1/2 Tsp freshly ground Green or Black Peppercorns
1 Package of pork tenderloin (they are usually about 1 1/2 - 2 lbs and contain 2 tenderloins)
Arugula
3 oz Gorgonzola Cheese
3 oz Toasted Pine nuts

Add maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, oil, minced shallot, herbs, spice, zest, salt, and pepper in a zip lock freezer bag, seal it & shake the heck out of it until mixed.

Trim the silver skin and visible fat from tenderloin using sharp thin blade or boning knife. (That is the membrane that I am pulling aways from the meat)

Slice into 1/3 - 1/2-inch slices. (It is very important that all the slices be the same thickness).
Toss the pork slices in the maple balsamic marinade and let stand for 20 minutes.

While the pork marinates, preheat your Grill pan on medium high heat.

I you have an infrared thermometer, you're looking for about 400°.
When the grill is hot, remove pork slices from the marinade and arrange on the grill, turn after 3 1/2 - 4 minutes and grill for 3 more minutes.
If working in batches, make sure to foil tent your cooked slices, as this is best served warm.

Serve on a bed of Arugula or Mixed Baby greens sprinkled with a small amount of Crumbled Gorgonzola and toasted Pine nuts.

Mangia!!
~~

1 comment:

Bob said...

Looks good to me! I'd eat it. :)