TIPS ON TENDERLOIN

Now that we are in the thick of summer, I find myself grill-side at dinner time. This summer I have been grilling lots of pork tenderloins. I like them because they are thin and cook quickly. I like their mild taste and tenderness, and I like how they adapt so easily to a variety of flavorful marinades.

Recently, friend, neighbor and cookbook author Bruce Aidell (``The Complete Meat Cookbook,`` co-authored with Denis Kelly, Houghton Mifflin, 1998) suggested that I butterfly the tenderloins by partially cutting them lengthwise from tip to tip and opening them like a book. This hint proved to be invaluable, not only because it shortened the already short cooking time, but because it added more meat surface for the marinade to permeate.

Bruce also suggested that I grill the tenderloins over medium heat and use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness. Cooked between 145 degrees to 150 degrees, the tenderloins came out tender and filled with flavorful juices.

For the recipe below I used a marinade made with soy sauce for saltiness, honey for sweet glaze and Chinese 5 spice powder for a pungent punch. Five spice powder, sold in the spice section of most well-stocked markets, is a haunting blend of cinnamon, fennel, star anise, cloves and Sichuan peppercorns.

I like to serve the pork, thinly sliced, with a spoonful of a cooling chopped salad, or salsa, made with fresh fruit. Use mango, papaya or peaches and mix with a dressing laced with toasted ground cumin and lime juice. For color, heat and crunch, add chopped red onion, fresh jalapeno chile and red bell pepper.

Serve with a Peanut and Brown Rice Salad. Cook the rice ahead, but remove it from the refrigerator and add the dressing about 30 minutes before serving. Cold rice can be hard and chewy so let it come to room temperature before serving. For dessert, sprinkle thin wedges of cantaloupe with lime juice, minced crystallized ginger and fresh blueberries.

MENU

Grilled Marinated Pork Tenderloins With Fruit Salsa

Peanut and Brown Rice Salad

Cantaloupe With Blueberries and Crystallized Ginger

PREPARATION

Marinate pork. Cook rice at least one hour or up to one day ahead. Finish up rice. Grill pork. Make salsa and dessert just before serving.

SHOPPING

2 pork tenderloins, each about 16 ounces

1 orange (for zest)

2 mangoes, papaya or 3 large peaches

2 to 3 limes

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 small jalapeno chile

1 bunch cilantro

1 carrot

1 green onion

1 large ripe cantaloupe

1/2 pint blueberries

PANTRY

Soy sauce

Honey

Vegetable oil

Chinese 5 spice powder

Garlic

Ground cumin

Long or short grain brown rice (1 1/2 cups raw or 3 to 4 cups cooked)

1 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts

Asian-style dark sesame oil

Fresh ginger

Crystallized ginger

GRILLED MARINATED PORK TENDERLOINS WITH FRUIT SALSA

Pork:

2 pork tenderloins, each about 16 ounces

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder

1 garlic clove, minced

Fruit Salad or Salsa:

2 mangoes, papaya or 3 large peaches, peeled, pitted and diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 small jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped (about 2 teaspoons)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

To prepare Pork, trim tenderloins of fat and butterfly by cutting lengthwise from tip to end and open flat like book.

Combine soy sauce, honey, oil, orange zest, 5 spice powder and garlic and stir to blend. Spread mixture over tenderloins. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or overnight.

Grill over medium-high heat about 5 minutes per side or until internal temperature registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer.

To serve, let stand 5 minutes and then cut into thin diagonal slices.

To prepare Fruit Salad or Salsa, combine mango and papaya in medium bowl. Heat cumin in small skillet over low heat about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool. Add lime juice and oil and whisk to blend. Add to fruit along with onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno and salt. Stir to combine. Sprinkle with cilantro. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Marinating time: 1 to 12 hours

Cooking time: 10 minutes

PEANUT AND BROWN RICE SALAD

Salad:

3 to 4 cups cooked long or short grain brown rice (1 1/2 cups raw, cooked according to package directions)

1 medium carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded

1 green onion, trimmed and cut into thin slices

1 cup dry-roasted peanuts, preferably unsalted

Dressing:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon Asian-style dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced or crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

To prepare Salad, cook brown rice ahead (it takes about 45 minutes). If using refrigerated leftover rice, bring to room temperature or reheat in microwave, covered lightly with plastic wrap, 2 minutes on high power.

In large bowl, combine room-temperature rice, carrot, green onion and 1/2 cup peanuts.

To prepare Dressing, in separate bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, lime juice, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and salt. Pour over rice mixture and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup peanuts. Makes 4 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes (rice: cook ahead)

CANTALOUPE WITH BLUEBERRIES AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER

1 large ripe cantaloupe, halved, seeded, cut into thin (1/2- to 1-inch) wedges and peeled

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/4 cup slivered crystallized ginger

1/2 pint blueberries, rinsed and sorted

Place melon on large serving platter. Sprinkle with lime juice and gently turn pieces to coat. Arrange in overlapping rows. Sprinkle with ginger. Top with blueberries.

Cover and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve. Or make ahead, cover and refrigerate, but let come to room temperature before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

(Marie Simmons is the author of the newly published ``The Good Egg,`` Houghton Mifflin, winner of a James Beard Award and a Julia Child award.)

(c) 2000, Marie Simmons. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

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Author: Marie Simmons