Pork Tenderloin

While this meat-and-potatoes combo cooks, prepare a green vegetable and one of our speedy desserts.

Although this dish calls for leftover Orange Sesame Pork (page 208), it’s so versatile that you can use almost any leftover lean meat—from baked chicken to Taco-Rubbed Flank Steak (page 184). No frozen peas and fresh carrots on hand? No problem. Use what you have—bell pepper, broccoli florets, asparagus, or whatever vegetables you prefer. You’ll need about 2 1/2 cups in addition to the onion.

Dry-roasted sesame seeds, often found in Chinese-inspired dishes like this one, add a rich nuttiness that teams well with pork. You’ll be tempted to eat every bite, but save some to make Cook’s-Choice Fried Rice (page 210).

Many Cajun seasonings list salt as the first ingredient on the label. Try to avoid buying one of those, if possible. It’s much better to be able to season your food as much as you like without it being overloaded with salt, especially if you’re like me and like spicy or super-flavorful food. This recipe is great with pretty much any tropical salsa, so just pick one that seems good to you. I definitely prefer the fresh ones that are most often found in the produce section of grocery stores. But if it’s inconvenient to hunt one of those down, you can use a jarred one.

Because pork tenderloin is so tender, this dish will taste fattier than it is. Granted, you never want to overcook any meat, or it will be tough. I used the spare rib sauce most commonly found in my area and that I believe to be the most common across the country (look for it in the international section of your grocery store next to the soy and hoisin sauces). You may note that the sauce itself is extremely high in sodium. Though you marinate these “ribs” in 2 tablespoons of sauce, only half of that gets consumed in the finished dish. The result may not be low in sodium, but you still could be saving up to 75 percent of the sodium you’d consume in the traditional dish. Please note that “8 ounces trimmed boneless pork tenderloin” means the weight after trimming. Thus, you should buy a bigger piece. “Eight ounces boneless pork tenderloin, trimmed” means you should buy an 8-ounce piece and then trim it.

Pork tenderloin is like the filet mignon of the pig, so I serve this with Red Onions Roasted with Balsamic and Honey (page 260) and round everything out with Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes (page 237). Charred red onions match perfectly with the sweetness of the dried plums (dried plum is code for prune).

Tender, juicy pork tenderloins cook as quickly as boneless chicken breasts.

I just ate a meal of some meltingly tender pork, butternut squash, and toasted walnuts. No, this isn't my food journal. I'm sharing this information with you because the above foods are supposed to reduce the incidence of many diseases that might come my way. Okay, maybe you're not interested in your arteries working at peak capacity; maybe what you want is to enjoy food to the maximum and not have to force it down your throat because it's good for you. That said, you'll love this dish, whether or not its health benefits ever cross your mind.

Pork tenderloin is a lean, quick-cooking cut of meat. Here it's roasted with apples and served with warm barley.

You'll achieve fresh, fiery flavor for only a few calories with this Mexican stew. And although hominy isn't technically a whole grain (the germ and hull are removed), its high fiber makes it a bona fide waist-whittling carb.

The compote here is a reminder that the tomato is a fruit, and its natural sweetness plays up that of peach. The combination is great with juicy curry-rubbed pork.

Cooking Method: Direct Heat Suggested Wood: Hickory, Pecan These pinwheels were developed in the kitchens at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q as a part of a campaign for the National Pork Board. This is not your typical "low and slow" barbecue recipe, but rather an "ode to pork," a direct-grilled recipe that features both pork tenderloin and pork bacon. Add some pecans and a traditional Carolina mustard sauce and you have an appetizer or entreé with true Southern flair.

The combination of fennel and roast pork is an Italian classic. Here, fennel bulbs become a tender, almost silky partner for pork, but to create another layer of flavor, we’ve added some crushed fennel seeds.

Sizzling with fresh ingredients, this lively Asian stir-fry keeps prep time to a bare minimum without sacrificing flavor.

Crunchy on the outside, juicy on the inside, this pork tenderloin gets sultry flavor from smoked paprika, almonds, and Madeira.

Channel your inner charcuterie artisan with this rolled pork, which is stuffed with garlic, spinach, and bacon and served in thin slices, either cold or at room temperature. The end result is a sort of fancy cold cut that will have the guests at your next picnic raving.

Instead of being pounded together, as they traditionally are, the best parts of the classic Catalan sauce are left intact here—yielding the same comforting flavor with a terrific assortment of textures.

Here, a garlic-packed vinaigrette is infused with caramelized sucs—pan drippings—from the roast pork, creating an uncanny fusion of nutty, meaty flavors.

Food editor Maggie Ruggiero has taken lentils "from canned to Cannes" in this très simple—and très français—dish.

Bread-crumb-coated pork medallions are golden on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside. The caper-yogurt sauce provides a burst of briny flavor.

A simple mix of aromatic spices is rubbed on this pork loin before it's cooked and drizzled with a slightly tart sauce.

Fried tofu takes on a meaty texture in this traditional Hunan dish that goes from pleasantly spicy to five-alarm fire in a matter of teaspoons. Pungent fermented beans add a satisfying fragrance to the sauce, perfect for spooning over rice.