Thursday, January 26, 2012

In Praise of Aldi's Pork Tenderloin

Of late I've been having quite a bit of success with meals I've fixed for Tommy and Mary.  Of course, whether I cook well or have my usual near miss, Gia the boxer is right there staring as if she's a closet chef willing to take in all that I can teach (not much).  More likely she's just hoping I'll have a catastrophic accident and dump whatever I'm cooking on the floor for her to clean and savor.

Tonight I decided to tackle my favorite piece of meat: the pork tenderloin from Aldi's.  Certainly every grocery chain carries the individually wrapped wonderful morsels of piglet.  They usually weigh around a pound.  But Aldi's sells them for about a dollar or more less than anyone else.  Love Aldi's. 

Hyattsville has one.  So does Germantown.  Quality is excellent.  Whole chicken frozen at 85 cents a pound.  Double stuff cookies that look like and taste like Oreos.  Even their own version of Velveeta...the food of the gods.  Admittedly selection is a bit limited.  So what.

I loved the debate among the city counsel when Aldi's wanted to locate in Hyattsville.  One side led by Chris Currie objected mightily.  I believe he and friends condemned Aldi's as a "big box" establishment that catered to the least common denominator of polite society.  A bit pretentious to be certain.  Last time I was in the Hyattsville Aldi's Chris' wife was pushing a nearly filled cart down the next aisle.  I pretended not to notice...didn't want her to see me laughing.  She sped down the aisle, and whether accidentally or on purpose, made sure our carts never met.  Still brings a smile to my pea brain. 

Anyway, I've tried to prepare said tenderloin every way imaginable and to date I must say it will not allow me to end up with anything but a tender succulent meal.  I've cut it in chunks and served it with pasta and tomato sauce.  I've split it and seasoned it with bizarre flavor combinations, seared it and shoved it in the oven.  Came out great every time.

For some reason I've been thinking about a Middle Eastern influence.  That means cumin as the main seasoning.  Cumin is the basis for a lot of cuisines, not just Southwest/Tex/Mex fare.  So I got out my trusty gallon plastic bag tossed in a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, a healthy sprinkle of garlic powder, some dried oregano, a couple of teaspoons of black pepper, a bunch of powdered ginger, and a few industrial size shakes of cumin.  To that mix I put in about a half cup of apple cider vinegar, a couple of shots (who knows I just poured til it seemed right) of white rum, and about a quarter cup of soy sauce.  Oops.  Almost forgot the honey.  Shake it up.  Put in the tenderloin.  Seal the bag and put it in the frig (frigidare for those of my generation...refrigerator for the rest of you).

A few hours later I put the porcine chunk into a cast iron skillet heated hot with a coat of oil...not much.  The sugar gives it a blackened look.  Sear it well on all sides, then put it in a chaffing dish (I guess that's what you call the metal oval shallow pan I found on my self) and stick it in a 475 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes til it's slightly pink in the middle. 

While it's cooking, I made potato pancakes: grated potato and onion (3 to 1 in favor of the potato), salt pepper a tablespoon or two of flour and a raw egg.  Fry in canola oil til golden brown.

In the pork skillet I poured in some Madeira to free up the browned morsels, then added the marinade.  To that bubbling mix I dumped in a healthy chunk of butter and whisked in some flour.  Kept adding chicken stock to keep the gravy loose.

Took out the pork...let it sit a few minutes, then sliced it (about half inch thick) and ladled the gravy over each slice.  I particularly liked it with a bit of fruit salad.  Tommy's only comment was "write it down" (I usually forget what I do to each meal). 

I love Aldi's.  Did I say that?  For the food snobs among us...Aldi's is owned by Trader Joe's.

Oh, Tommy not only kissed my bald head thanking me for dinner, he also handed me his report card that has the notation above the A's B+'s B's and lone C+ "Achievement with Honor."  I add this not just because I'm continually proud of him, but to set the record straight for his absentee mother and "Aunt Nasty" who are forever looking for the worst in life.  His mother's last communication was "why is Tommy getting failing grades?"  He's not.  He's doing very well thank you!   Did I tell you
he earned and achieved the rank of Captain (company commander) in the JROTC at St. John's?  He carries himself like a Marine.  Proud, confident and responsible. 

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