(Family Features) This holiday season, you can impress your guests with these tips and recipes from award-winning chefs Seamus Mullen and John Tesar:
- Start with fresh, high-quality ingredients that are versatile and easy to cook, like fresh pork.
- Look for meats with marbling, which translates to flavor and tenderness.
- Let your meat rest before cutting into it, to help retain moisture and juiciness.
Try out these festive dishes featuring all-natural, hand-trimmed Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork. For more holiday recipe inspiration, visit smithfield.com/primechefs.
Pork Tenderloin and Fennel with Cranberry-Ginger Relish
Ingredients
- 2 Smithfield Prime Fresh Pork Tenderloins
- 1 piece fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 stars anise
- 2 cups cranberries
- 1/4 cup honey
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 4 bulbs fennel quartered
- 1 lemon sliced thin, seeds removed
- 6 tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° F.
- Remove fresh pork tenderloins from package and let rest up to 15 minutes.
- Use vegetable peeler to peel skin off ginger. Cut lengthwise to make paper-thin slices. Stack slices and use knife to cut into thin threads.
- In saucepan, heat butter until foamy. Stir in 2-3 tablespoons ginger, star anise and cranberries; saute about 5 minutes.
- Add enough water to cover mixture. Reduce heat to simmer; cook until cranberries break down, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in honey; season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
- In large baking pan, combine fennel, lemon slices and 1/4 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven 25-30 minutes.
- While fennel is roasting, in cast-iron skillet, heat remaining olive oil over high heat. Season tenderloins with salt and pepper; brown all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake until internal temperature reaches 145° F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
- Place tenderloins and fennel on platter; top with cranberry-ginger relish.
Notes
Recipe courtesy of Chef Seamus Mullen
Source: Smithfield
Ancho Chile Rubbed Pork Loin with Fig Chutney
Ingredients
- Pork Loin:
- 1 Smithfield Prime Boneless Center Cut Fresh Pork Loin
- 1/4 cup ancho chile powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground chile de arbol
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- Fig Chutney:
- 1 cup tawny port
- 3/4 cup dried figs quartered
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 strip lemon zest
- 1 small bay leaf
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- coarse ground salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove fresh pork loin from package and let rest up to 15 minutes.
- Mix together ancho chile powder, paprika, mustard powder, coriander, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, cumin and chile de arbol. Combine with canola oil; mix well.
- Rub pork loin with chile rub and refrigerate 4 hours.
- Heat oven to 400° F.
- Season pork loin with salt and pepper, and place in roasting pan; roast 1 hour until internal temperature reaches 145° F. Let stand 15 minutes; slice into 1-inch-thick slices.
- To make chutney: In saucepan, combine port, figs, water, butter, lemon zest, bay leaf, cinnamon and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until liquid is consistency of jam, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and cinnamon stick.
- Place pork loin slices in bowl and top with chutney. Serve over creamy polenta.
Source: Smithfield