Ancho Chile & Amaranth Crusted Tenderloin

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My favorite Mexican comfort food is red chile with meat.  My appetite for this deep red sauce is insatiable because of the rich and earthy flavors.  When I created this new recipe, I expected the flavors to pop out bold and strong but what I got was an elegant balance of flavors that complement, not overpower, the pork tenderloin.  The nutty flavor of amaranth balances the red ancho chile and the bright colors of yellow and orange from the squash and carrots are just perfect for this Mexican inspired dinner.

This is really an easy dish to prepare so vámonos to the kitchen and let’s get started.

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 lb pork tenderloin

Extra virgin olive oil

The rub

3 tablespoons ground ancho chile

2 tablespoons onion flakes

1 tablespoon ground piloncillo or dark brown sugar

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ generous teaspoon of salt

Amaranth for popping

2 tablespoons amaranth

Carrots for Roasting

10 -12 medium thin carrots, peeled

The Squash Puree

8 oz squash puree, kabocha or butternut

½ tablespoon butter

¼ cup half and half or creme

 

 

Preparation

The Rub

Combine the ground ancho chile with onion flakes, piloncillo, cloves, cumin and salt.

Tenderloin

Loosen the excess fat and transparent connective tissue with your hands.  The white strip is called the silver strip.  Remove it with a knife.  Lightly coat the tenderloin with extra virgin olive oil then pack all sides with spice rub. Refrigerate the meat in a covered container for 6 hrs or overnight.

 

Popped Amaranth

Popping amaranth is fun but messy. These little grains pop out of the pan so select a deep pan with straight sides. Heat the pan until a drop of water balls up, bounces and dances around the pan.  Pop amaranth in small increments. Start with 1 teaspoon and quickly remove the popped amaranth from the heat once the popping ceases. It goes fast.

 

Squash

Cut the pumpkin in half and remove and discard the seeds and stringy insides.  Cut each half in four and steam covered for an hour or until the pumpkin is tender.  Once cooled, scoop out the flesh, discard the peel and puree the until smooth.  Add butter and incrementally stir in the cream.  Best served warm.

Cooking Tenderloin

Bring the tenderloin to room temperature and preheat the oven to 350^o F.  Coat the tenderloin with popped amaranth on all sides with as much as possible.

 

Coat carrots with olive oil and in a roasting pan, cook the loin and carrots together for about 20 minutes until the thickest part of the meat reaches 135-140^o F.  Transfer the loin to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice diagonally and serve with squash and carrots.

 

Notes

Tenderloins average one pound in weight and one is sufficient to serve four small portions.  You can cook several tenderloins in the same pan; just keep them separate from each other. The amount of rub in this recipe should suffice for two. Apply the crust of amaranth just prior to cooking to prevent it from softening.  Amaranth, a grain was cultivated by the Mexica (Aztec) civilization. It’s available in stores that sell bulk grains or specialty flours. Buen provecho !

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