Cinnamon Tomato Pork Tenderloin and Smoked Paprika Oven Fries

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Put pork on your fork!

That’s the slogan that Alberta Pork uses to incite the public to eat porcine meat and help the farmers’ crisis. Has it worked? As of late, pork producers have decided to donate their excess to the Food Bank instead of destroying their animals.

For my part, I am trying to keep up and come up with new recipes. Pork likes sweet and sour, as I found with my apple-mango, honey-nectarine and tamarind experiments. The tomato marinade I used here would be perfect for barbecued baby back ribs, but because the tenderloin is leaner than the ribs, cinnamon and cloves enhance the sweetness of the tomato in a very different manner. The dark and syrupy mushroom-infused soy sauce, which does not taste as salty as tamari sauce, adds more depth to the marinade. Instead of white vinegar, I used cider vinegar to thin the marinade which is much milder. For the calorie conscious ones, the accompanying oven fries are a must – Keep the skins on! They are rich in Vitamin C!!!

Ingredients for 2 generous (or 4 small) servings:

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)

1 teaspoon black peppercorn

1 teaspoon cloves

1 stick cinnamon

1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the pork tenderloin in a sealable plastic bag or a bowl and add black peppercorn, cloves, cinnamon, soya sauce, bay leaves, tomato paste, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

2. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hrs.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

4. Transfer into an oven dish and roast for 20 mins, until the internal temperature reaches 150 F.

5. Remove the tenderloin from the oven and tent with foil for 5 mins.

6. Carve the meat and serve with oven fries and green beans.

Smoked Paprika Oven Fries

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4 russet potatoes

1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon Italian herbs

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash and slice the potatoes.

2. Preheat the oven to 425F.

3. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes with the paprika, herbs, olive oil and seasoning.

4. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 mins until golden and crisp, flipping the fries after 20 mins.