Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Sauce

 

 1/3 cup Kentucky Bourbon
 1/3 cup light soy sauce
 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
 3 large cloves garlic, minced
 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
 1/3 cup vegetable oil
 dash hot sauce
 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

In blender or food processor, combine bourbon, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, mustard, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and oil; pulse until smooth. Place tenderloin and marinade in a food storage bag; refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. Cook 4 inches from a hot charcoal fire for 15 to 25 minutes or until the pork has reached 165° internally and is no longer pink in the center. Baste occasionally while cooking. Slice in 1/2-inch thick slices to serve.

If you prefer not to grill, cook terderlion in a low casserole dish on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes on 400F. Turning once, baste twice.

What is in your meatloaf?

After doing some research on the meatloaf, I can tell you there is not one pinpoint date or country where it might have come from. Some who say it started with the Romans, 17^th century France or even the Pennsylvanian Dutch in the 18^th century. There is a consensus that meatloaf became popular with Americans around The Depression. The meatloaf filled the need to stretch the family food supply while be filling and nutritious.

The ingredients in a meatloaf are just as diverse as its origins. Most articles I read all agreed that Veal was probably the first meat used since it was cheaper than beef. Other items used in meatloaf, vegetables, breadcrumbs, oatmeal, rice, wheat germ even cornflakes. My mom used to make it with oatmeal onions, carrots and two slices of bacon on top. My mother-in-law makes hers with breadcrumbs. There is one constant ingredient in every meatloaf and that is a single egg.

I make my meatloaf a bit differently from both my mom and mother-in-law. I have also tried experimenting by wrapping the entire loaf in bacon before cooking. The recipe that follows makes a nice juicy meatloaf that freezes and reheats without drying out.

Paige’s Meatloaf:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

1 pound ground pork

1 egg

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon, dried parsley

2 Tablespoons, minced onions

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

4 ounce can of tomato sauce

Bacon grease

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven 400°F

Combine with hands first eight ingredients until fully blended.

Thickly grease 11” X 7” Pyrex glass baking pan with bacon grease

Form meat mixture into a loaf and place into prepared pan

If you have extra bacon grease, gently rub to outside of meatloaf then season with salt and pepper.

Pour tomato sauce over top of meatloaf, covering the entire top and sides.

Bake in oven until internal temperature is 160°F

The Porky Pine, A Halloween Meatball...



Porky Pines with Garlic Peas

Growing up my mom would make Porky Pines. What is a Porky Pine? Porky Pines are a meatball with rice cooked inside and served with pasta sauce over the top.

 My siblings and I always gobbled these down; there were never any leftovers. Mom served them with steamed green peas, and salad. This time, I used the garlic butter I made the other day  to season the peas, and it made a nice change.

The first time I made Porky Pines, it was Halloween. There was a huge uproar from my husband, when he saw them cooking in the pot.  He asked to me why are there maggots in the meat. I about died of horror! I had just bought the meat from the commissary and knew it was fresh. I bolted into the kitchen, then almost fell over with laughter, when I realized what he was looking at.

 My picky husband was not too happy about the idea of trying these. However, with coaxing from the kids (who were six and four years old), he tried them. The poor man, remined me of Dr. Suess's Green Eggs and Ham story. His first  bite went down with a gulp and ended with a smile. While they are not his most favorite food to eat, he does enjoy them every so often. 

 Yes, I have changed the recipe by adding more spices.  I hope my siblings will find the change for the better and like them. I have added Garam Marsla, which gives a slight smokey under tone. Also mint gives it a bit of fresh taste, without being minty.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of ground beef, lean

1 cup of uncooked whole grain rice (we use white, brown is acceptable)

1 carrot finely grated, or you can mince (the idea is for the kids (or my dad) not see the carrots)

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon garam marsla

Water

24 oz Jar of Prego, Heart Smart, Traditional Spaghetti Sauce

*The secret ingredient is 1/2 teaspoon of fresh mint, minced*

Directions:

In large bowl, combine beef, carrots, egg, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire Sauce with your hands making sure all ingredients are well combined.

Using about a 1 cup portion, form mixture into balls and place in a skillet. Once all mixture is formed into balls, add enough water to cover ¾ ways up the meatball. Cover and cook on stovetop at medium high heat until majority of water has cooked out.

Turn down heat to low, pour Prego sauce over meatballs, heat until warm then serve.

This recipe is easy to half if there are just three or less people. If there are leftovers, make a Porky Pine sub for lunch the next day.