Grilled Pork Tenderloin Burritos with Cucumber Pico

You all know we love to cook.  Kevin especially loves to get in the kitchen and try new recipes while I enjoy sipping a cocktail and helping out if he needs me…what?

A few weeks ago we had plans to do nothing, and had no clue what to have for dinner.  I found an old movie on TV that we wanted to watch so I paused that while we went to survey the food in our house.  The result, delicious pork tenderloin (left over) quesadillas.  Let me tell you, they were so good.

Now, here we were a few weeks later, still remembering how good those quesadillas were and decided to tweak that a bit and create a recipe.  We knew we wanted to grill the tenderloin, so Kevin decided to make a rub for the pork.  This consisted of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and my fave, cumin.

He rubbed that on the tenderloin and grilled it, (we go old school with charcoal), until it reached an internal temp of around 160 degrees.

Meanwhile, I was preparing a pico to go along with our meal.  We wanted something fresh, so what better than a little pico? We wanted to have a little twist on it, so we’ll call this a cucumber pico. Basically it is your normal pico, tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime, and garlic with cucumbers added.  (We also made a mango pico but decided we didn’t like it as well with this recipe). How many times can I say pico in one description?

So now you have your pork tenderloin which you need to shred.  Kevin boiled some water on the grill, (in a heat proof dish, such as cast iron) placed a wire rack inside the pot and steamed some whole wheat tortillas.  (You’ve got to try to steam the tortillas, they are so much better than regular heating.)  He then made a burrito with the shredded tenderloin, and colby jack cheese.  Now go put these back on the grill for a minute to let the cheese melt and get some good grill marks.

Pile on the pico right on top and enjoy.  Let me tell you, these are seriously good.  We’ll certainly be enjoying this meal  again.  (Update since originally written…we’ve enjoyed these at least 3 more times.)

We served this with yellow rice as well as some grilled mango.

Who wants an invite the next time we cook?  You can sit and have a cocktail with me!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Burritos with Cucumber Pico    serves 6-8

2lb pork tenderloin, large whole wheat tortillas, grated cheddar cheese

For the Pico

4 tomatoes seeded and chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 jalapeño seeded and chopped

Half of a cucumber chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Chopped cilantro, to taste

Garlic salt

Combine all ingredients; add more lime, garlic salt and cilantro as needed.

For the Rub

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

Mix together in a small bowl.

Trim the silver skin off of a 2 lb pork tenderloin, and coat the tenderloin with the rub.  Cook on the grill, turning as need until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees.  Remove from the grill and wrap in foil.  You want it to continue to cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Shred the tenderloin.

Place a pot (large enough to fit the tortillas) with enough water to steam on the grill.  We use a wire rack placed in the pot to steam the tortillas.

Once your tortillas are steamed (or heated) assemble the burritos by adding some of the pork and cheese.  Roll tightly so there are no opening and place back on the grill to heat and melt the cheese.  Top with the cucumber pico and serve.

 

 

Grilled Flatbread Pizza

I have to give Kevin total credit for this recipe.  He created this Sunday night, and I couldn’t have been happier…

This is a Smoked Gouda, prosciutto, tomato, basil, flatbread.

Are you seeing all of that melted Gouda?

All he did was roll out some refrigerated pizza dough.  He then infused some olive oil with garlic, (just heat them together on the stove), and brushed both sides of the pizza dough.  Next he took it to the grill.

We’re a charcoal family.

Meanwhile, I cooked the prosciutto in a skillet for just a bit.

Once the dough was cooked (this only took a few minutes) Kevin topped it with shredded Gouda, tomatoes, and the prosciutto and put it in the oven just to get it all melty.

Once it’s melted add some chopped basil and serve!

This had a ton of flavor…and for a girl who loves Smoked Gouda, I was in heaven.  Now, obviously you can use whatever toppings you want, or you could just grill the dough and dip it in some hummus, whatever!

So what’s your take on the smoked cheeses?  If it’s smoked, I’m a fan.

Grilled Flatbread Pizza

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough, 1 package prosciutto, chopped tomatoes (to taste) chopped basil (to taste) 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 1-2 cups smoked gouda

Directions:  Before you begin get your toppings ready.  Shred the cheese, cook the prosciutto, and chop the tomatoes and basil. Put aside. Unroll the pizza dough on a foil lined cookie sheet.  In a small saucepan heat the olive oil and garlic together being careful not to burn the garlic.  Brush both sides of the dough with the infused olive oil. Place the dough on a hot grill for about 2 minutes each side.  Remove from the grill and add the toppings. Place in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted.  Cut and serve.

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce | Recipes

This was the first meal Kevin made for me.  It has been one of my favorites since.  This would be a great meal to serve for the holidays as it is very impressive but quite simple.  We actually made this for a Christmas Eve dinner a few years ago.  This recipe is from Tyler Florence.  We always have a pork tenderloin in the freezer so we make this or a variation often.  The plum sauce makes it.  We served this with garlic mashed potatoes and parmesan wrapped asparagus.  Recipe below.

We got the potatoes boiling and started the plum sauce. This is an entire bottle of red wine in the pot.

Add some red wine vinegar, dried prunes, and sugar.

Let this cook for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime, get the tenderloin ready. Trim away the silver skin and any fat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Lay sage leaves on top of the tenderloin and tie it with some butcher’s twine.

Heat olive oil in an oven proof skillet (we use a cast iron) and sear all sides.

Transfer skillet to a 400 degree oven  and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

In the meantime finish the plum sauce.  Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

For the asparagus, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place shredded parmesan cheese in a circle on the pan.  Sprinkle a bit of cayenne pepper on each circle.

Blanch some asparagus.  You can roast it, boil it, whatever, but we prefer to blanch it.  Put the cheese into a 350 degree oven (we just placed it in the 400 degree) and watch it.  This takes no time.  The cheese will melt and begin to turn a bit golden.  Take it out of the oven, place 3 asparagus stalks in the middle, and wrap it up like a burrito.

Slice the tenderloin and pour the plum sauce over.  This is so good.  You must try it.

Tyler Florence is our go to chef.  His recipes are easy to follow and impressive.  I love reading his blog and delicious recipes.  Check it out here.

Sage Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Plum Sauce

Time: 1 hour

Serves: 2

Plum Sauce

• 1 bottle fruity red wine, such as Pinot Noir
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3/4 cup pitted prunes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pork Tenderloin

• 4 fresh sage leaves
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Start with the plum sauce, because it takes longer than the pork. Combine the red wine, sugar, vinegar, and prunes in a pot. Cook over medium heat until the prunes simmer down and get really soft, about 20 minutes. While that is cooking, move on to the pork.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the sage sprigs in a row down the length of the pork tenderloin and tie with butcher’s twine to hold them in place. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper. Put a cast-iron (or regular ovenproof) skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with a little olive oil and get it almost smoking. Add the pork to the pan and sear on all sides until nicely browned and caramelized. Transfer the whole thing to the oven, pan and all, and roast the pork for 10 to 12 minutes.

Puree the prune mixture in a food processor or with a handheld blender. The prunes will thicken the sauce; season with salt and pepper. Cut the string off the pork but leave the sage leaves in place. Slice the pork tenderloin on a slight bias into 1-inch-thick pieces. Drizzle the sauce over the pork.