Ancho-Marinated Pork & Mango Skewers

Hi friends! I recently remembered I have a blog and I haven't updated it much (other than mandatory posts) in the last little while. ;) I thought I would show you what I've been up to and share my favorite recipe that I tried while I was back home in Northern British Columbia visiting my family. It was a big hit all around! My favorite dinner was Ancho-Marinated Pork and Mango Skewers. I found the recipe in the Best of Fine Cooking magazine's Summer Eats 2012 issue (there are sooooo many good recipes in there so best to check it out if you haven't already! Its well worth the 12 bucks!).

My favorite part about this recipe was learning to barbeque! My hubby always mans the BBQ when we are home, but since he didn't come up north with me, and it was just my Mom and I out at their cabin, I had to "man up" and figure out how to light the BBQ and do the grilling. Surprise, surprise, it went just fine! And I was pretty darn proud of myself for figuring it out. :)

Ancho-Marinated Pork and Mango Skewers
Recipe from The Best of Fine Cooking Summer Eats 2012

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil and more fore the grill
• 2 tsp dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp ancho chile powder
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• kosher salt
• 1 lb pork tenderloin trimmed and cut into one inch cubes
• 2 medium ripe mangos, peeled, pitted and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6 metal skewers
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, sugar, ancho chile powder, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp salt. Add the pork, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 4 hours (I did two hours and it was plenty).
2. Thread the pork and mango cubes onto the skewers, alternating them and beginning and ending with a piece of pork. Each skewer should have about 5 pieces of pork and four pieces of mango.
3. Heat BBQ to medium heat and rub down with a paper towel dipped in oil o grease the grill. Cook the skewers, turning once or twice, until the meat is nicely browned on the outside but still slightly pink in the center, about 8 minutes per skewer (may vary depending on the temp of your grill). Serve garnished with the cilantro if desired.

I served mine over an avocado and blackberry salad dressed with a roasted garlic dressing and some yummy feta cheese!

While I was up north visiting family, I got put to work. Turns out my timing was perfect and I was in time for haying! So I drove the tractor, slung some hay bales and otherwise worked my butt off!

I also got to hang out with my momma lots (and Dad too, but he had to work while I was there, so didn't get to spend as much time with him)!

We had some sweet camp fires out at the cabin at the lake in the evenings and even made S'Mores a coupla times. Let me tell you - we discovered some delicious chocolate to use in S'mores - one was a coconut & toasted almond milk chocolate bar and the other was a dark chocolate with sea salt. Both were spectacular, but definitely the favorites of the week!

Also got to take in a hike with my sister and my cousin! It was a great hike to Clearwater Lake & Upper Clear Water lake. Somewhere I had never hiked before. What a beautiful lake! And a beautiful day too.

And finally, I just got some time to sit and relax and enjoy the sunshine. It was a much needed break and was so lovely that my parents shared their beautiful place at the lake with me. We laid out on the dock and soaked up some rays!

 And also enjoyed some of the beautiful evenings!!

Thats all I have for you today! But stay tuned for a super special post tomorrow. I have something really neat and delicious to share with you. :)

Happy Cooking my Friends!

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Onion Cream

Looking for an easy yet impressive recipe for your next dinner party? Look no further! This recipe is always a hit. Its very rich, so definitely not something to eat all the time - break it out for special occasions! This pork tenderloin recipe is from one of my cookbooks by Anna Olson - In the Kitchen with Anna. Anna has a note regarding the technique for this recipe which I thought I would share with you:

"Dry rubs are a great way to add flavor to many cuts of meat at the last
minute. The spices toast and cook right into the meat, regardless of whether it
is prepared in a pan, on the grill or in the oven."

This recipe definitely imparts a lot of flavour with simple ingredients. Another key to successfully executing this recipe is making sure you are patient enough to carmelize your onions. Don't underestimate the time required for carmelizing onions because this develops the flavour base for your sauce and you don't want a harsh onion taste in the sauce - it needs to be the delicate, slightly sweet flavour of lightly carmelized onions. Do cook the onions for the full 20 minutes as stated in the recipe - its just the right amount of sweet.

Pork Tenderloin with Maple Onion Cream

Recipe from In the Kitchen with Anna by Anna Olson, p. 113

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp whole caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp fine salt, plus extra for seasoning
• 1/4 tsp pepper, plus extra for seasoning
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 lb each
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 cups sliced onion
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 cup whipping cream

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a small bowl stir the thyme, caraway seeds, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil to combine. Rub the spice mix all over the pork tenderloins. Place pork in an ungreased shallow baking dish and roast uncovered until it reaches an internal temperature of 165F (medium well). Remove pork from baking dish to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
2. While pork is roasting, prepare the sauce. Heat butter and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until lightly carmelized, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and maple syrup and simmer until reduced by half - it will turn into a glaze. Add the cream and return to a simmer and season to taste.
3. To serve, slice the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices and spoon sauce over top. Enjoy!