Back in my late 20s, though I already knew that my new husband loved to entertain, I discovered that he and a group of his friends from high school had a bit of a potluck dish competition going on. My entry, this pork dish won, and I loved the fact that you serve it at room temperature which made transportation easier. The original recipe called for a 5 lb pork loin, which is great for potluck parties but I adapted it to tenderloin for the smaller group that L. and I form.
The recipe is adapted from Norma McMillan's Favorite Family Cookbook, a cookbook which I have owned since it was given to me for my 19th birthday. I rediscovered it while culling my many boxes of books that have lived, unopened and unloved, in the Cape spare room for the past 15 years. Seeing its cover reminded me of this recipe, which I immediately decided to try again. It was just as good as I remembered though I did, as I did then, omit the red currant jam that the original recipe calls for.
2 pork tenderloins of about 1 lb each
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsps white wine
2 tsps mustard powder
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tsps grated ginger
1 tsp olive oil
Mix all of the ingredients except for the pork and the oil together in a large dish.
Cut the tenderloins into equally sized 1 inch medallions and add them to the dish, Flip them to make sure that the meat has some marinade on all sides. Set aside in the fridge to marinate for a minimum of a couple of hours or overnight. Flip the pieces of meat when you think of it so that both sides get exposed to the marinade.
When ready to cook, heat the oil in a large skillet. Remove the pork medallions from the marinade and place in the pan. Lower the heat and cook the medallions for 2 minutes on each side. Add a couple of tablespoons of the marinade to the pan and cook for another 90 seconds on each side.
Let rest for a few minutes before serving. I served this with what was essentially an Asian peanut sauce based coleslaw but steamed rice and some sort of green or vegetable stir fry would be nice, as would a carrot or cauliflower puree.
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