Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa

I've been doing a lot of fruit salsas with our dishes lately. Probably because the mantra here at the moment is very similar to Game of Thrones...."Winter is Coming." Apparently, when winter is making it's way to this area, one starts to see a dusting on the mountains. Well. I've seen the dusting. Everyone has seen the dusting. The dusting is all anyone can talk about. Therefore, in an effort to hang onto summer (and avoid the dusting), I've been encouraging a lot of outdoor grilling (and dining!).

I've made this recipe before, but I couldn't remember when. Turns out that I was planning on posting this back when we were in Leavenworth. Never happened. No idea why. In any case, I made it again and it (once again) received raved reviews from the masses. Well just Matt and Nicholas. So I am super excited to share this with you!!

SPANISH PORK WITH APPLE-CITRUS SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon pimenton*

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed 

2 cups diced Granny Smith apple

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple juice 

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

Cooking spray 

*Note: I used Smoked Paprika 

The recipe starts with an easy dry rub; combining the chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and (in my case) smoked paprika.  

The next step is to take your olive oil and brush it onto your pork tenderloin. Once you have done this, you take your dry rub and sprinkle it over the pork tenderloin, rubbing it into the pork as you go until it's completely covered. 

 
There's a story behind these two pork tenderloins. So the recipe calls for a pound--which in my experience is hard to find...and especially hard to find up here! For some reason these tenderloins only come in one size. LARGE. The one I found was over two pounds and it was the smallest one (and cheapest). I *thought* that there was just one pork tenderloin encased in it's little wrap...but SURPRISE. There were two. I say all of this because the rub was enough for both!

The next thing is that you let the pork sit. For about 30 minutes at room temperature to marinate in the goodness of the rub that is dry.

Did you like that?

While you wait...make the salsa!! All you have to do is mix together the apples, cilantro, apple juice, lime rind (I used my trusty microplane), lime juice, green onions, and jalapeño pepper. Stir well, put a cover on it, and set it in the refrigerator to get happy. 

Once your pork has rested for 30 minutes, fire up the grill and grill it! Make sure it reads 145 degrees before you pull it off though! 

I know my grilling looks pretty shabby...but I am still getting the hang of it. I promise you it still was DELICIOUS. 

Look how pretty on the inside!!! :) I let it rest on the cutting board for about 10 minutes to let the juices do their thang and then sliced it into little medallions. 

When we were ready to eat, I pulled out the salsa to top off the pork. 

The pork was as tasty as I remembered and even Nicholas liked it! I served it with a salad and wild rice. It was so nice outside that we decided to take advantage of our new patio furniture. Totally worth it. 

This dish comes in at 227 calories per serving and it was even great for leftovers over the weekend! I made it into pork tacos using corn tortillas (warmed on the stove) and of course topped the pork off with the salsa. I love it when recipes can be transformed into something different for another day. More bang for your buck I suppose! 

I know that this recipe has gone into my "make again" folder and I definitely will. I think it's pretty enough for company even! The spices aren't too spicy and you can most certainly adjust it per your liking. 

I hope that if you try this dish you will love it! And if you do, let me know!!! :) 

Here's the link: Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa