May 7, 2008

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chimichurri


Just came back from Florida. My husband went there for business, I just came along for sunshine, not Disney for sure. I've never been a Disney fan, but I was amazed how the Disney Kingdom is dominating the whole city. Basically, you will have to love Disney, otherwise my suggestion is "don't go" because you got nothing else to do and most importantly, food really sucks!!!!! It was my first time I honestly crazed for my own cooking.

Why I went all the way to Florida for sunshine? Because Vancouver is still freakingly cold now. It was still snowing when I was in Florida late April. It's getting better these 2 weeks though with sun keeps showing. So we couldn't wait to do a little grilling at our backyard.


The recipe is from "Tyler's Ultimate". I wiki-ed a little for "chimichurri" - originated from Argentina and is a popular sauce used with grilled meat in many Latin American countries. It is told that the unusual name comes from "Jimmy McCurry", an Irishman who is said to have first prepared the sauce... However, "Jimmy McCurry" was difficult for the native people to say. Some sources claim Jimmy's sauce's name was corrupted to "chimichurri"', while others say it was changed in his honor...interesting!

(serves 2)
Ingredients:
For Chimichurri:
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
2 limes, juiced
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp whole black peppercorn

For Tenderloin:
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of excess fat, patted dry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
Lime juice, for drizzling
Parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
Combine garlic, jalapeno, vinegar, parsley, oregano, and lime juice in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside at room temperature to allow the flavors to marry.

Reserve half of the chimichurri to serve and marinate the pork with the rest. Put the pork and marinade in a sealable plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Don't over-marinate.

Preheat an outdoor charcoal grill or oven broiler to high.

Remove the pork from the marinade, wiping off any excess. Season both sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and place on the grill.

Grill the pork on the hottest part of the barbecue for 5-6 minutes per side, until well charred. Allow the tenderloin to rest for about 5 minutes prior to slicing. Spoon some chimichurri over the meat, drizzle with lime juice, garnish with parsley, and serve with the remaining sauce at the table.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love pork tenderloin... LOVE it! This looks fantastic!

Monika K said...

The chimichurri recipe sounds cool - I've never made it before and will have to give it a try (maybe with tofu?). (-:

monsieur coco said...

Grilled pork tenderloin... how interesting! I've only had it the French way. I will perhaps try this chimichurri thing.