Dinner Planned Around an Herb

After picking up new herbs at the Nashville Farmers' Market over the summer, our breakfast nook is now full of basil, chives, and rosemary. The basil isn’t a problem for us to use; we often throw it in when we’re making some sort of pasta dish (which is fairly frequently) or when we’re making a dip or appetizer (also a frequent occurrence). This is not quite the case with the rosemary.

We do like rosemary (otherwise we wouldn’t have bought it), but we have found ourselves with quite a bit and are unsure how to use it all. We don’t often think about cooking pork dishes at home, and I’ve seen dozens of recipes that combine it with rosemary.

And so, here’s the recipe we used, found both in Recipes Worth Sharing (a compilation of many cookbooks) and Tables of Content (see reference in previous post). [Both books can be purchased at HALF PRICE until the end of December.] The recipe was really easy, and while I made it over the weekend, I think it would be a great weekday meal as well. It would also be good if you were having guests and wanted something impressive without hanging out in the kitchen all evening. Hope you enjoy it!

Rosemary-Ginger Pork Tenderloin
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins [they usually come 2 per package]
1 (12-ounce) jar apricot preserves
1 (5-ounce) bottle light teriyaki
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger

Put the tenderloins in a large sealable plastic bag. Whisk together the preserves, teriyaki, rosemary, and ginger. Pour over the tenderloins and turn to coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 8 hours, turning occasionally [I marinated mine for about 4 hours]. Remove the tenderloins to a baking dish, reserving the marinade. Pour the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; set aside. Bake the tenderloins at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 155 degrees, basting frequently with the reserved marinade. Remove from the oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers 160 degrees.

I served it with roasted potatoes, which I chopped small and microwaved for about 2 minutes so they wouldn’t take as long in the oven. Then I tossed/coated them with a mixture or olive oil, rosemary, chives, salt, and pepper and popped them in the oven when I started roasting the pork. If you roast potatoes, be sure to put both baking dishes on the same oven rack so both items cook more evenly. Rotate the pans halfway through the cooking process if needed.

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