Pork Tenderloin

A baked potato, peas and sorbet are all you need with this entrée, but for a party, dress up the pork with cranberry relish, couscous studded with diced bell peppers and green beans, and a rich almond tart.

Pork fillet, or tenderloin, contains about as little fat and cholesterol as chicken. Available now in most supermarkets, it is tender and moist. In this recipe, the pork is marinated in honey, jalapeño peppers, and nuoc mam, the fish sauce of the Vietnamese, then grilled.

Since moving to Stockholm to join my Swedish husband, I'm learning to base my cooking on ingredients that are plentiful here. It seems that pork is more popular--and more readily available--than chicken (my usual standby) so I developed:

Offer with the mashed potatoes and some steamed broccoli. Have crunchy ginger cookies for an easy dessert.

Pork tenderloin makes a delicious replacement for veal in this dish. Rice and chutney complete the meal.

Marinating the pork in citrus juices gives it a flavor that is perfectly complemented by the slightly spicy sauce. If you cannot find plantains, use ripe bananas.