April 29, 2009

rosemary skewered pork

Aside from chicken breast fillets, lean pork tenderloins are always in my regular grocery list. Just like chicken, there are countless ideas and ways to use them in everyday meals. One of the hits in my recipe file is this grilled pork with a mustard based marinade. It was an easy recipe shared to my cousin by a friend which she then passed on to me.
I've made this a few times, but this was the first time I used rosemary branches for the skewers. Having just pruned our overgrown rosemary plant, I thought it was a perfect time to try them. I gathered the branches and rinsed them, trimmed off the leaves but left the top for decorative purposes. The marinated pork slices [marinade recipe below] were skewered with the rosemary branches then pan-grilled. It was a great idea which added some flavor as well. I even used the extra rosemary sprigs to brush the pork with the marinade instead of a regular brush.
I served the grilled pork with a Mediterranean-inspired salad (shown above) with mini pasta, barley, fresh Greek oregano, cubed cucumbers and tomatoes. Crumbled feta cheese may be added as well. The dressing was a simple yoghurt, sour cream, lemon juice, salt and pepper combination which worked well and was a refreshing touch served with the pork.

GRILLED PORK MARINADE

2 tablespoons dijon mustard (yellow or spicy brown mustard may also be used)
3-4 cloves minced garlic
chopped fresh rosemary leaves (dried rosemary may be substituted)
olive oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl or container, combine all the ingredients then add the pork slices. Turn the slices over and allow the marinade to coat them well. Cover tightly and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

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