When it comes to easy roasts, nothing beats a boneless pork tenderloin — just season, glaze and bake. A favorite way to prepare it is with chunks of fresh pineapple. Here, the fruit is used two ways: in a maple-infused glaze and in a chutney made spicy-sweet with shallot, sherry vinegar and a touch of cayenne.
Baste the pork occasionally with the glaze to keep the meat moist and tender. And don’t forget to let it rest a good 10 minutes before carving (so that it retains its juices). Leftovers can used for sandwiches and in stir-fry.
Glazed Pork Loin with Pineapple-Scallion Chutney
2 large garlic cloves
Kosher salt
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. toasted coriander seeds, toasted
1 Tbsp. salt
3-lb. boneless pork loin roast
1 medium fresh pineapple
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 large shallot, minced
Pinch ground cayenne
1 large scallion, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Peel and coarsely chop garlic. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and mash into a paste with the side of a chef’s knife. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in oil, lemon zest, coriander and 1 tablespoon salt.
Put pork on a large rimmed baking sheet, pat dry with paper towels and rub salt mixture on pork. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.
Position rack in center of oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 130 degrees, about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, trim pineapple by slicing off the top, bottom and all rind. Remove any remaining eyes with paring knife. Quarter the pineapple lengthwise and trim core from each quarter. Cut half of pineapple into small dices and roughly chop the other half. Puree the roughly chopped pineapple in blender, then strain through a fine strainer, pressing on solids with a spoon to yield about 3/4 cup juice.
In small saucepan, combine juice and maple syrup and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, 12 to 15 minutes. (Lower heat as necessary as it reduces.)
Set aside all but 2 tablespoons of reduced liquid. (This will be your glaze.) Add vinegar, shallot, cayenne and a pinch of salt to the 2 tablespoons liquid remaining in the saucepan and cook over medium heat just until shallot begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add diced pineapple and scallion whites and continue to cook, stirring until pineapple softens and releases some of its juice, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
When pork reaches 130 degrees, brush it with some of the glaze and continue to roast, brushing with glaze every 5 minutes until meat registers 145 degrees, about 20 minutes more. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
When ready to serve, stir scallion greens and cilantro into the chutney. Slice pork into 1/2-inch-thick rounds and serve with chutney.
Serves 6 to 8.
— “Fine Cooking Roasting” by the Editors and Contributors of Fine Cooking (Taunton, 2014, $14.95)
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