Chipotle-Marinated Pork Tenderloin

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We've just finished a wonderful meal that Bob thinks should be shared with you. I've made this pork tenderloin before, but tonight, rather than grill it outdoors, I seared it, stovetop, in a cast iron grill pan. It was terrific and , better still, almost effortless to prepare. I made a marinade this morning, placed it in a bag with the tenderloin and let it sit in the refrigerator until I was ready to cook the meat. The marinade is more than sufficient for two 1-pound tenderloins. This is a lovely stand-alone entree to serve with southwestern sides, but it also works well as a base for fajitas if you want something more informal. There are no tricks to be shared here, but because the marinade uses chipotles in adobo sauce, I wanted to pass on a tip I use for storing the unused portion of the can. I mash the chipotles with any remaining adobo sauce, transfer the puree to a small air tight container and refrigerate it until needed. This lasts for several months. When a recipe calls for a chipotle in adobo, I use two teaspoons of the puree. This recipe comes from Eating Well magazine, so you can rest assured that while the pork is delicious, it's also good for you.

Chipotle-Marinated Pork Tenderloin...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, or 2 teaspoons chipotle puree

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup orange juice concentrate, undiluted

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and silver skin

Preparation:

1) Combine chipotle and adobo sauce (or chipotle puree), garlic, orange juice, water, lime juice, vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper in a blender or mini food processor; blend or process until the chipotle is chopped and mixture is relatively smooth. Pour into a sealable plastic bag, add pork and seal, squeezing out any excess air from bag. Turn to coat with marinade. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

2) Preheat grill to high or heat a large indoor grill pan over high heat. Remove pork from the marinade (discard marinade). Grill pork, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally into center of the meat registers 145° F, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Yield: 4 servings.

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