A Pork Tenderloin Recipe You’ll Want to Make it Every Sunday Night

We love pork tenderloin for entertaining and Sunday-night suppers because it’s a fast-cooking, affordable, lean protein option for those days when we need to get out of a chicken rut. It also goes beautifully with sweet and tart flavours, like those found in persimmon.

Our flatbread recipe required that our persimmons maintain their structural integrity, but we want them to take on a texture like apples for this dish, which is why we’re switching gears and using Hachiya persimmons for this sauce. We’re pairing them with sprightly ginger and tangy rice wine vinegar to breathe new life into this neutral “other white meat.” Trust us, this persimmon sauce will make you never want to buy applesauce again.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Servings	Prep Time	Cook Time
4servings	10minutes (plus 2 hours marinade time)	20minutes

Servings	Prep Time
4servings	10minutes (plus 2 hours marinade time)

Cook Time

20minutes

• Course Dinner
• Cuisine Poultry

Ingredients

• Roasted Pork Tenderloin
• 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added chicken broth
• 3 tbsp low-sodium tamari
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 (1 lb/500 g) pork tenderloin
• Salt and pepper
• Caramelized Persimmon Sauce
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots minced
• 3 tbsp grated ginger
• 3 large ripe Hachiya persimmons peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/3 cup no-salt-added chicken broth divided
• 1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 tsp low-sodium tamari
• Salt and pepper to taste
• cilantro for garnish
• white and black sesame seeds for garnish

Servings: servings

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients Roasted Pork Tenderloin 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added chicken broth 3 tbsp low-sodium tamari 3 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp tomato paste 3 tbsp grated ginger 3 garlic cloves minced 1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar 1 (1 lb/500 g) pork tenderloin Salt and pepper Caramelized Persimmon Sauce 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 shallots minced 3 tbsp grated ginger 3 large ripe Hachiya persimmons peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes 1 tsp cornstarch 1/3 cup no-salt-added chicken broth divided 1 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar 2 tsp low-sodium tamari Salt and pepper to taste cilantro for garnish white and black sesame seeds for garnish Servings: servings Units:MetricUS Imperial

Course Dinner Cuisine Poultry

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together broth, tamari, sugar, tomato paste, ginger, garlic and vinegar; transfer to a resealable bag with the pork tenderloin. Let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Bring pork to room temperature and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork on all sides; transfer to a plate. Return pan to heat and add remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and ginger; sauté until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add persimmons and nestle pork in the middle. Mix cornstarch with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the chicken broth. Add remaining chicken broth, vinegar and tamari to pan, along with the cornstarch mixture.
3. Transfer pan to oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reads 145°F. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
4. Serve pork with persimmon sauce, topped with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Recipe Notes

Nutrients per serving: 376 calories, 27 g protein, 11 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 45 g carbohydrates (5 g fibre), 64 mg cholesterol, 890 mg sodium.

Tip: When hard and under-ripe, the Hachiya persimmon is unbearably astringent. Let it ripen in front of a sunlit window or in a paper bag with a banana or an apple and you’ll be rewarded with a gooey, honey-like treat. Seriously, you can dig into the flesh with a spoon and eat it like a Jell-O cup—it’s that good.

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