WFD? Pork Tenderlon with a red wine sauce

I've been obsessed with growing herbs for the past couple of years, and this year my parsley is doing great! I don't have to worry about running out or buying any, anytime soon.

Well tonight for dinner I planned on making a pork tenderloin, so I Googled recipes and didn't find anything that sounded good with mashed potatoes. This meant I was going to just figure it out as I go. And of course I forgot to use my fresh herbs and automatically reach for the dried herbs! But it turned out to be a good thing since this forced me to make a sauce with my fresh parsley. And then it came to me I had to open the bottle of Syrah wine that my sister gave me for my birthday. And then I decided what the heck might as well add it my sauce ;)

To make the pork tenderloin I rubbed some olive oil on it and then put the following rub on it:

3/4 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Thyme (dried)
1 tsp Oregano (dried)
3/4 tsp Basil (dried)
1 tsp Rosemary (dried)
1 clove Garlic, minced

I then quickly seared it on all sides in an oven-safe pan and placed in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes then I increased the heat to 425 degrees for 5-10 minutes.

I served some pork tenderloins medallions over mashed potatoes and topped it all with this wine sauce. I didn't really measure but all I did was reduced some
Syrah Wine and butter in the same pan that I cooked the pork in. It was a little too wine-y for my husbands taste so I decided to add some dried chives, red chili flakes, tomato paste and some cream into it. Luckily it all worked out and it was really good, I think this will be something we make on a regular basis.

Banh mi sandwiches

A while back we got addicted to The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network We were rooting for Team Nom Nom, they sold banh mi sandwiches and tacos. Everytime we saw this show we wanted banh mi, so we decided to try to make them at home. And it was a success, thanks for the inspiration Nom Nom Truck!

You will need:

• crusty baguette(s)
• mayonnaise mixed with some sriracha (optional)
• sliced cucumber
• sliced jalapeno or serrano pepper
• Vietnamese-style pork
• pickled daikon radish and carrots/do chua (Recipe below)
• chopped cilantro

1. Hollow the bread and slather with mayo mixture.
2. Layer on cucumber slices, peppers, pork, do chua, and cilantro.
3. Enjoy =D

Making the do chua is super easy, but you could probably also buy it from a local Vietnamese restaurant or store.

A local bakery sells banh mi and they add pate to it, had I know I probably would have asked for my sandwich without it even thought it adds a great flavor. So if you are up for it add some pate too.

Do chua ingredients:

• half Daikon Radish
• 2 small carrots or 1 large
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar

1. Julienne the vegetables (should look like big matchsticks)
2. Place in a colander and sprinkle with salt and s 2 tsp sugar. Massage vegetables until you can bend the radish without it breaking, about 4 minutes.
3. Rinse the vegetables with cold water and place in a mason jar. (We used a sterilized jelly jar)
4. Mix the vinegar, water and 1/2 cup sugar until the sugar is dissolved, and pour over the vegetables.
5. pickle for at least one hour before eating.

Vietnamese-style pork

Vietnamese-style pork

• About 1.5 Lbs. Pork, sliced about 1/2" thick
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs chopped garlic
• 1 thick slice of onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs chopped lemongrass*
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce**
• 1 Tbs oil
• 1 thinly sliced jalapeno (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients then add the sliced pork. Let marinade for up to 24 hours.

Grill for about 7 minutes, turning often.

*I didn't have any good lemongrass so I used some lime zest and chopped cilantro.

** I used prepared fish sauce since that it what we had, it's what you use for spring rolls.

This is great in sandwiches, "recipe" coming soon. *****update****Actually just click here for my banh mi sandwich post

Recipe inspiration from:http://une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com/2009/02/grilled-pork-with-vermicelli-noodles.html